


Everywhere You Are...

by Mojojojo2017



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - College/University, American AU, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Lemon, Masturbation, Smut, Unresolved Sexual Tension, slightly OOC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-01-04 23:00:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18353492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mojojojo2017/pseuds/Mojojojo2017
Summary: Bulma keeps running into this excessively muscular man on campus. He’s everywhere! Her apartment complex, her favorite coffee shop, and now he’s her new intern AND her new self defense coach?!Vegeta keeps bumping into this blue-haired woman on campus. She’s everywhere! His apartment building, the coffee shop where he works at, and now she’s his new boss AND new boxing student?!





	1. That Guy

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing!
> 
> My very first multi-chapter Vegebul fic, so I hope you all enjoy!

**Chapter One: That Guy**

 

“Ugh! I can’t believe that guy!” Bulma yelled as she entered her apartment, throwing her bag onto the floor and plopping down in between where her two roommates sat on the living room couch.

“What happened now?” Chi Chi asked, trying to bite back a chuckle at her overdramatic friend.

 Bulma groaned again, stealing some popcorn from the bowl in 18’s lap. “That stupid guy next door is a total ass!”

“We already know that since you find the need to tell us this fact _at least_ twice a day,” 18 said with a roll of her eyes.

“Yeah, well today he was even more of an ass! He had the audacity to call me a ‘fat ass’ because _apparent-ly_ I was in his way and he couldn't get his precious mail. I wasn’t even in his way! Then he went on about how he could never get any sleep because my tv is too loud and he has to try to drown out ‘stupid _Grey’s Anatomy_ ’. Whatever! First of all, _Grey’s_ is not stupid! And I’m the one that has to put up with him hitting his stupid punching bag every night and early morning, which I pointed out the giant monkey. … And what’s with his need to constantly call me “woman” like I haven't told him my name a hundred times already. What kind of name is Ve-geta anyways…”

Bulma continued to complain as Chi Chi and 18 just sat listening to their roommate rage and rant about their next-door neighbor like she normally did every night. They’ve lived here since sophomore year of college together. The girls and Vegeta actually moved in on the same day and the bickering between the two started on that fateful morning…

**_Flashback_ **

_Bulma picked up another box from the back of her car and headed up to her new apartment._

_She was so excited to be moving in to a new place with her best friends. She was so glad to be out of the dorms. Making her way to the elevator, Bulma’s mind began to wander._

_She couldn’t believe that summer was basically over and that classes would start soon. Meaning that she couldn’t spend all of her time working in the labs with her dad… But now she’d have a bunch of cool neighbors to get to know and start her second year of undergrad. She was stoked!_

_Deep in her own thoughts, Bulma stepped off the elevator and headed in the direction of her new apartment, so she didn’t notice the guy making his way through the hallway carrying a bunch of things in his arms. Not until she bumped right into him, making him drop all of the electronics he had been carrying._  

_“Oops. I am so sorry!” Bulma said, maneuvering the box in her arms to get a look at who she bumped into. She was met with the coldest black eyes she’d ever seen. They were set in a very handsome, chiseled face. Bulma did a once-over of the man in front of her to see that he was ripped beyond belief. It was hard to miss those muscles with him wearing spandex shorts and a cutoff t-shirt._ Whoa _, Bulma thought. She made her way back up to look at his face again. A face that was twisted in rage._

_“Watch where you’re walking, woman!” the guy shouted in a deep, gravely voice. “You made me drop my laptop. That’s not cheap, you know. It better not be busted.”_

_Bulma was taken aback by his outrage at a complete stranger. Like seriously, it’s not like she ran into him on purpose. And she had apologized. Her anger began to rise at this guy’s lack of manners, forcing her to drop the box she was carrying to the floor._

_“Hey! It’s not like I purposefully bumped into you so you’d drop your damn laptop. I said I was sorry. How ‘bout you stop yelling at me and pick the stupid thing off the ground before someone steps on it!” Bulma was steaming the more she yelled at the guy._

_The guy glared at her before bending down to retrieve his fallen laptop. He opened it up and it appeared to be in perfect condition. “If it doesn't turn on later, you're gonna pay to fix it,” he grumbled at her._

_“Oh please, I could fix it faster than any repair shop ever could. I’m Bulma Briefs. In case you haven't heard, I am a genius, after all,” she gloated, as if he should automatically know who she is. Which, he should._

_“Some genius you are, can't even walk without bumping into people,” he retorted, loving the way the woman’s face reddened in anger._

_Before Bulma could spew anymore animosity at the muscled man in front of her, Chi Chi and 18 stuck their heads out of the door to their apartment to see what all the commotion was about._

_“B, you okay?” Chi Chi asked._

_“Yeah, we heard you yelling…” 18 trailed off as she noticed the very toned and handsome man in front of her._

_The man just gave a grunt, picking up the rest of the stuff he had dropped and headed to the door right next to the girls’ apartment._

_“Are you kidding me!” Bulma screeched, making the man turn to face her again. “I have to live next door to you!”_

_“Trust me, I’m not thrilled about it myself. So just stay out of my way, woman.” And with that, he entered the apartment, slamming the door behind him._

_“Ugh! I can’t believe that guy!” Bulma complained, picking up the forgotten box on the ground, making her way over to her stunned roommates._

**_End of Flashback_ **

…Almost two years later and they were still going at it like cats and dogs. Chi Chi and 18 actually had a bet going on for when the two would just shut up and jump each others bones. Even Chi Chi’s boyfriend Goku, who can be a little clueless at times, had a hundred bucks down that it'll happen by midterms - 18 says by Christmas and Chi Chi is betting on New Years ‘because it’d be so romantic’.

“UGH I JUST WANT TO PUNCH HIM IN HIS STUPID CHISELED FACE!” Bulma suddenly screeched. Chi Chi jumped at her sudden outburst.

18 laughed. “Hey, you're starting your self-defense classes tomorrow, right? Maybe you'll learn how to break his nose or something.”

“A girl can only hope,” Bulma grumbled.

“18, don’t encourage her,” Chi Chi chided.

“Speaking of my self-defense class, the trainer must be a masochist because the class starts at 8am. On a freakin Saturday!” Bulma says, looking down at her phone to see the time. It was almost midnight. She really needed to stop staying so late at the lab… “Guess it’s bedtime for me… G’night,” she sighed irritably, dragging herself toward her bedroom.

“Goodnight,” the other girls called out, somewhat happy to be able to continue their movie in piece.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 04/11/19: minor grammatical changes and edits for continuity


	2. That Woman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!
> 
> This chapter is basically the same as the first but in Vegeta's point of view. This shouldn't happen very often, where it switches views like this.  
> Hope you like it! (Next chapter I promise not to do a flashback!)
> 
> Remember, I own nothing!

**Chapter Two: That Woman**

  
****

Vegeta slammed the door to his apartment behind him.

“That woman!’ he shouted irritably to his empty apartment.

Even when he tries to avoid her, she’s always around, waving that perfect ass in front of him. _God, what am I even thinking!_ He needed to get a hold of himself. He _did not_ find the irritating blue-nette attractive in any way. She was loud and vulgar and always found a way to push his buttons.

He didn't have time to mess around with annoying bimbos, anyways. This was a busy year for him. He still had his job as a barista at Senzu Bean, working whenever he got the chance. But this year he would be starting a paid internship for his Physics major that his professor set up for him at some big tech company he didn't even bother learning the name of. Hey, it was paid, so he didn't really care where it was or what he was doing. And starting tomorrow he would be training a person in kickboxing for his Kinesiology practicum. Plus, he had his minor in Mathematics he just added, all while maintaining his physicality for the cage fighting tournaments that were coming up in a few months.

Somewhat exhausted just thinking about all the future work he’d eventually be bombarded with, he made his way to the bathroom to shower off from his workout before heading to bed. He turned on the shower as hot as it'd go, stripping off his sweat-soaked t-shirt and mesh shorts before stepping into the shower and shutting the glass door. His body becoming satisfyingly sore as the steady stream of hot water worked at his aching muscles.

His mind began to wander while he soaped up his body. For some odd reason, he went back to the event from a few moments ago with the witch next door.

**_Flashback_ **

_He walked into the apartment building and headed toward the mailboxes. He was tired from his early morning classes, working at the coffee shop for a few hours, and after the grueling workout he just put himself through. He was basically sleep walking as he looked up and noticed a very curvaceous body clad in a tight pair of black skinny jeans and graphic cropped tee. His eyes lingered on the woman’s midriff as she reached up to her mailbox. Following her movements, his gaze made its way up toward her face before he noticed a blue ponytail. A blue ponytail that was all too familiar._ Crap, _Vegeta thought._ It was that woman _. He mentally slapped himself for his reaction over the woman’s body as he walked up beside her and gruffly said, “would you hurry up and move your fat ass so I can get into my own mailbox, woman.”_

_She jumped at the sound of his voice before her face took on an angry look as she realized who had spoke. “Excuse you, jackass. Would it kill you to not be so rude all the time? And I’m barely in your way, anyways,” she spit out, crossing her arms, but not moving from her spot._

_“Yes,” he replied, “it would. Now get out of the way so I can get to sleep before I have to endure you incessantly playing stupid Grey’s Anatomy at top volume all night.”_

_Bulma puffed out her cheeks before stating, “Whatever! I’m the one that has to listen to you constantly hitting that punching bag of yours at all hours of the day! I’m surprised you even sleep with how much I hear you pounding away on that thing.” She gave Vegeta a quick once-over before a sardonic smirk appeared on her face - and he also could’ve sworn he saw her eyes fill with lust for a split second as she took in his form. “Trying to let off some steam are we?” She let the innuendo hang in the air._

_He scoffed. “Trust me, woman, I have no need to release that so-called steam through boxing.”_

_“Oh right. I’m sure you and Jill are well aquatinted by now,” she quickly retorted, wiggling her fingers in front of his face, baiting him._

_Vegeta scoffed. “Vulgar woman,” he breathed, tired of her presence now._

_She just grabbed her mail with a smile on her face and began walking away. “And Grey’s Anatomy is not stupid,” she added before stomping up the stairs and out of Vegeta’s view._

_As irritating as she was and as much as he’d hate to admit it - even to himself - it was still nice to watch her walk away._

**_End of Flashback_ **

Vegeta looked down at himself to see that he was getting hard just thinking about the woman’s body and what she had been implying earlier. _Man, what is wrong with me?_ He sighed, leaning his head back to let the water streak across his face. Deciding to ignore his body’s reaction he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He chalked this sudden attraction to Bulma all up to him being so tired. After all, he was a red-blooded American male, so he could appreciate a nice female form when he saw one, even if it did belong to the screeching banshee.

Trying to shake the images of the woman from his mind, Vegeta grabbed a towel and wrapped it around himself as he made his way to his bedroom. The clock on his dresser read 1:01am. He needed to get to sleep soon. He set his alarm for 5am, that way he’d be able to hit the library for a bit to work on some assignments before his 8am training session. He hoped his new trainee wouldn’t be annoying. From their email contact, he knew that the person was a female and was wanting to take the lessons as a form of self-defense training. Whomever it was, they better be ready to jump straight into training without complaining. He’d been a trainer before, but he wasn't one of those namby-pamby trainers that babied their trainees. Either way, this shouldn’t be that hard, as far as practicums go.

Putting on a pair of boxers, Vegeta walked to his bed and laid down, his eyes closing as soon as his head hit the pillow.

To his pleasant surprise, he drifted to sleep without hearing any _Grey’s Anatomy_ coming from the apartment next to him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this chapter, I will attempt to do weekly updates for this story. I'm thinking of posting every Friday, but I'm starting a new job in a week, so we shall see what happens.
> 
> Edited 04/11/19: minor grammatical changes


	3. Teacher and Student

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta meets his new kickboxing student/Bulma meets her new kickboxing instructor and isn't too thrilled about who it is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist posting this chapter! It just couldn't wait till Saturday. 
> 
> No actual smut in this chapter, but heck of a lot of innuendos and dirty thoughts. ;) The chapter is a lot longer too. 
> 
> All of the exercising jargon comes curtsy of my boyfriend who was a boxer and powerlifter. He also happens to be a giant Dragon Ball fan.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

  **Chapter Three: Teacher and Student**

 

Bulma woke to the blaring of her alarm. Groaning, she rolled over and smashed her fist against the alarm clock and noticed it was only 6:30 in the morning. “Ugh, why did I even sign up for this?” she asked herself. But she knew the answer. Now that she was gaining more responsibility in her father’s company, Capsule Corp., she was beginning to receive more threats as well. Perks of being famous, she guessed. Yeah, she had a security team and was assigned a personal bodyguard, but she wanted to maintain her freedom as much as possible. So she decided she needed to be able to protect herself and not have to rely on anyone else to save her. Just look at Chi Chi, a fifth degree black belt in American Kenpo, and 18, who practices Mixed Martial Arts with emphasis in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She wanted to become just as strong and capable - on a physical level anyways. So when she saw the flier in the quad for a kickboxing instructor seeking a prospective student, she grabbed the flier and immediately emailed her new trainer to set up a start date and time. Apparently the instructor was a Kinesiology student and this was suppose to be the guy’s practicum.

But right now, as she reluctantly crawled out from underneath her covers, Bulma was starting to regret her decision in accepting the early morning regimen. _Maybe the trainer will be hot and available…_ , she thought. That seemed to get her out of her bed. She couldn’t turn down the chance of potential eye candy, so she walked to the bathroom with a slight pep in her step.

When she returned to her bedroom, her hair had been blowdried and pulled up into a high ponytail, with a towel wrapped around her slight frame. She walked into her closet to look through her the workout sets - that she hardly wore for actually working out. She decided on a pink and black Adidas sports bra with matching capris leggings and pairing it all with all black sneakers. She packed some everyday clothes and some toiletries into a gym bag, grabbed a water bottle, and headed out the door to the underground garage.

Keys in her hand, she pressed the button to unlock her metallic light blue 20XX Volkswagen Beetle Convertible. Throwing her bag in the passenger seat, she turned the keys in the ignition and rolled down the convertible top. She pulled out of the parking garage and headed out toward the university’s Kinesiology building slash gymnasium. 

* * *

Vegeta was already annoyed. His new kickboxing student was late. Albeit, by seven minutes, but still, his time was precious. _Who is late on their first day?!_ he thought. Just as Vegeta managed to calm his annoyance over his missing student, the one person who he didn't want to see at the moment walked into the gym. _Please, God, no,_ Vegeta pleaded to himself.

Bulma entered the gym looking around for the free-weights section where her trainer said he’d be waiting near. She walked around the room as she searched, taking in the big sparring ring in the near left corner and the many punching bags lining the other side of the room. She’d never been in this particular gym on campus, so she was intrigued by all the equipment, or lack thereof since there weren’t many machines. Her eyes stopped scanning as they landed on the one person she never expected to see standing over by the free-weights. _Vegeta?_ _No way in hell! His being here is just a coincidence_ , she tried to reason with herself.

She froze in place a few feet away from where he stood, completely at a loss as to what to do next. She hadn't expected to see him so soon after their encounter last night. She took in his appearance. He was in spandex shorts and a grey cutoff Stanford t-shirt - if you could even call it a shirt, she could clearly see his chiseled stomach and pecs with how cut up it was. She watched his muscular thighs ripple through their spandex coverings before she realized her was walking toward her.

Vegeta, as annoyed as he was, closed the distance between them and stood in front of her with his arms across his chest. He took in her outfit and was glad his anger clouded any sexual desires that may have been caused by her lack of clothing.

“I’m guessing you're my new kickboxing student?” Vegeta grumpily asked. He didn't wait for her response, he already knew. _Of course she fucking was._ “You’re late.”

Bulma recovered quickly at the sound of his voice. “What, by like five minutes! Sor- _ry_ for never really having been inside this building before and for getting lost! And here I thought I would get a trainer that would be understanding of that fact. But no. I get _you_ ,” she seethed.

“Woman, you think I was wanting an irritating wench like you for a student? As quickly as you responded to that flier, I would have thought you'd actually arrive early. _But no_ ,” he mocked, “I get the self-absorbed rich bitch that’s been a pain in my ass for the last two years.”

Bulma’s face was red with fury. “You pompous ass! How dare you speak that way to me! I haven't even done anything to you. God forbid I make one little mistake! I take one wrong turn in this building and end up a few minutes late. No one’s perfect. We all make mistakes. Even a giant ape like you!” She was furious. He had no right to be such an ass all the time. 

“You were seven minutes late.”

“Ugh!” She grunted loudly. “Whatever! I don’t need this training that badly, especially from the likes of you. Have fun failing your class on your own.” She turned on her heal to walk away but he grabbed her by the forearm. She was surprised by how gentle he was. And they both ignored the little electric feeling they got from being touched by the other.

“Wait,” Vegeta gruffly whispered. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Let’s just get to work.”

Bulma bulked. She was surprised to see him calm so suddenly. And even more surprised that he actually wanted to continue. She looked up at his face. He was staring at her. They locked eyes and stood there staring at each other for who-knows-how-long before he finally let go of her arm and turned around, walking toward the far wall.

“Hey,” Bulma called. He stopped walking but didn't turn around. “You’re actually willing to teach me?”

He let out a huff before he turned around and made his way back to her. He had started to notice all the other guys in the gym looking their way and wanted to end their stupid little yelling match before those asshats got anymore ideas about him and the blue-nette. “Like it or not, I need someone to train and you're that someone. I need to pass this practicum. So either you can shut up and follow me so we can get started or I need to start looking for someone else to train right this second, which will just cause me unneeded stress and I’ll be even more of an ass to you.”

Bulma has never been this dumbstruck in her entire life. Vegeta was actually being somewhat vulnerable right now.

“Well I never thought I’d see that day,” Bulma said with a smirk. “Mean ol’ ‘Geta needs me!”

“Are you coming or not,” he growled, clenching his fists at his sides.

“Fine,” she said, cheerfully making her way in the direction he was headed earlier. “But you got to promise you won’t damage the goods,” she said with a sway of her hips, looking over her shoulder at him. He rolled his eyes and stomped ahead of her over to the scales lining the back wall. _This was gonna be a long semester_ , he angrily thought.

Bulma smiled at his reaction. But that smile fell when she realized what he was walking toward. “Wait, are you going to weigh me?!” Her voice broke in embarrassment. _That’s all I need, is this jackass knowing my weight and teasing me for it_ , thinking of when he called her a fat ass last night. Bulma was by no means ashamed of her body. She loved her curves and the way men stopped and stared. She was a ten. But compared to people like 18 - who had a freakin’ six pack - she was pudgy. And to be weighed by the one guy she truly despised was cringe inducing.

“Stop being so dramatic, woman. I need to know your starting point so I can better assess the areas to focus on before you can get anywhere near actual boxing techniques. It’s also a way for me to track your progress.”

Bulma was surprised by how clinically and _nicely_ \- well, as nice as Vegeta could possibly get - he explained it all to her. It was weird to hear him speak to her in such a way. She doesn't think they've ever had an actual conversation that didn't involve them yelling at each other at some point. She stared at Vegeta’s back as he set up the scale. _He really is a handsome guy. If you can look past that permanent scowl on his face and sour attitude_ , she mused. Setting her bag down, she walked toward the scale. Vegeta motioned for her to step forward. He was trying very hard to ignore how close they were. He had to move even closer to adjust the scale, thus putting her breasts at his eye level. He swallowed and tried not to stare. _Focus, man!_ He promised himself he wouldn't get distracted by this woman’s tempting figure. He continued adjusting the scale as he caught a glimpse of her face in his peripheral vision. He noticed her cheeks were flushed. _A least I’m not the only uncomfortable one_ , he thought.

“Okay, 135 pounds,” Vegeta said, writing it on the whiteboard that was set up above the scale.

Bulma was appalled. “Why are you writing it on the board for everyone to see?!”

“God, stop screeching, woman!” Vegeta barked out. “It’s not that big a deal. A woman at your age weighs, on average, roughly 170 pounds, so I don't know what you're freaking out for.” He walked away from her and she huffed, but stepped down off the scale, trying to ignore the number staring her in the face. When he returned he had some sort of device in his hands. “Here, hold on to this, keeping your arms out in front of you.”

“What is this?” Bulma inquired.

“It measures how much body fat you have.”

“Why do you need to know that?! I thought I was suppose to be learning how to kick a guy in the face or something. Not have you tell me I'm fat.” Bulma was tired of all this weighing and measuring. It was starting to make her feel inferrer.

He stared her in the face with his dark, menacing eyes. He took a step toward her. “If you screech like that one more time I am going to duct tape your mouth shut next session,” Vegeta threatened. Bulma’s eyes went wide, because she knew he meant every single word he just said. _Good, that shut her up_ , he smirked. “Now hold the device like this,” he instructed, handing it over to her. “Like I said before, this will help me track your progress. And it gives me an idea of where to start your training. There’s no way you'd be able to ‘kick a man in the face or something’ if you can’t even move your body smoothly and accurately.” He noticed her blush at his words. Bulma’s mind was reeling, thinking of Vegeta teaching her how to move _smoothly -_ in a way that he was definitely not referring to.

Vegeta couldn't let this opportunity go, especially with what she pulled last night. He walked up behind her, covering her hands with his and held the device out in front of her. “Hold it out like this,” Vegeta whispered in her ear, his gruff voice sounding lower and even gruffer than usual. She could feel his breath on her ear and couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down her spine then settle into her belly. He smirked to himself as he felt her shiver. “Cold?” he asked, stepping away from her? He had to step away from her before his plan at teasing backfired and he took her right there on the mat. _Wait, what?!_ He wasn't a teenager. It’s not like he’s never been with a woman. So where’d that thought come from? He shouldn't be ready to bed this woman just by touching her. _Get it together, Vegeta!_ he berated himself. He didn't let his inner turmoil show on his face though, still determined to get under her skin.

Bulma stood there staring at Vegeta, her mind floating through images of her and Vegeta rolling around between sheets, having him push her up against the shower wall, even “sparring” in the ring behind her. But then she saw the smirk on Vegeta’s face. She puffed up her cheeks, her face growing even more red. “You ass!” she grumble-shouted, throwing the device at his head. Vegeta easily caught, much to Bulma’s disappointment.

Vegeta stepped toward Bulma until they were so close their chests were almost touching. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, “what did I say would happen the next time you screeched at me?” Bulma gasped. He loved seeing her all frazzled. Stepping back, he said, “what, did I discover a hidden kink of yours, woman?”

Bulma immediately clenched her mouth shut at his words. Something clicked inside her seeing the smirk on his face grow. _Oh, I see what he’s playing at_ , Bulma thought, finally figuring out Vegeta’s motives. _It is sooo on._

Vegeta’s smirk fell once he saw the too-sweet smile spread across the woman’s face. She stepped toward him, placing her hand on his exposed pec and fluttering her eyes up at him. His frown deepened. _What is she up to?_ , he thought.

“Wouldn’t you like to know…” she said huskily, dragging her hand down his stomach and toward his shorts. Vegeta tried to keep a certain appendage from twitching as her hand got closer to the waistband of his shorts. He could feel her fingers brush against the elastic before he felt them leave his skin altogether. She reached down and grabbed the device that he was still holding in his hand, stepping back. “Now how do you read this thing?” she asked, as if nothing just transpired between them. _Ha! That’ll teach him._

Vegeta stood there completely confused. He let out the breath that he didn't know that he'd been holding. He looked at Bulma, who was just standing there with a quizzical look on her face, but he could see the mischievous sparkle in those bright blue eyes of hers. Looking over her shoulder, he could clearly see that the other guys in the gym had gathered and were snickering over the two of them. Not wanting to give them anymore ammo, he took two steps away from the woman and went on to explain how to read the device in her hands.

“You’re skinny fat,” Vegeta said as he wrote down Bulma’s numbers on the whiteboard with her weight.

“ _Excuse me!_ ”

Vegeta held back a groan at her irritating voice. “Calm down, woman. It’s just what we call people who appear skinny or “healthy” but actually have quite a bit of body fat. The clinical term is normal weight obesity.”

“Oh…” Bulma mumbled, surprised by Vegeta’s clinical knowledge.

“Believe it or not, woman, I am actually a good trainer and know what I’m talking about,” he said with a sneer.

“Sorry if I thought that the reclusive asshole that lives next door was good at anything else other than being an asshole.”

“By that logic I’d have to think that you're only good at spending your daddy’s money and not having to work for anything in your life, but we both know that’s not true.”

Bulma looked up at him with a small smile, “was that a compliment?”

“Tsch, like I’d ever give you a compliment, unintended or otherwise,” Vegeta said, walking away from her toward the mirrored wall that overlooked the entire back wall of the gym.

Bulma’s eyebrows furrowed as she followed him over to the practice mats and free-weights. “Why is it so hard for you to be even a little bit less asshole-y?”

“I don’t think geniuses, are suppose to use words like _asshole-y_. He reached down to pick up the 2 pound weights. “Besides,” he continued, dropping the weights in Bulma’s hands, “some people love my asshole tendencies.” He gave a knowing look.

“Oh yeah, I bet all the ladies just flock to you and are _dying_ to get into bed with you. I must have just missed all the women coming and going from your apartment over the last two years. I’m sure it’s been a revolving door.” Bulma mocked.

Vegeta’s faced hardened. “Shut up and let’s get started on your first exercise.” He stepped away to grabbed the ten pound weights for himself. “Now you’re going to start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms down at your sides, palms inward.” Bulma did as he instructed. “Now, bring the weights up to chest level, then bring your arms over your head while twisting your wrists so your palms are facing outwards and back again. Yeah, like that. Bring them back down to chest level while twisting again, then back to you sides.” Bulma continued to follow his movements. “Good. I’m surprised that you can actually follow direction, woman.”

“I’m surprised you can actually give direction without being rude,” she retorted.

“I’m good at what I do,” he replied, letting the hidden meaning linger in the air. “Now I’m going to show you another exercise and then you’ll do some reps.”

“Okay.” Bulma was too focused on getting the steps correct to pay attention to Vegeta’s innuendo.

“For this one,” he went on, “you're still going to have your feet shoulder with apart. You're going to bring your arms up to chest level, then raise them above your head, bending your forearms to bring the weights behind your back. Bring them back up above your head, then lower back to your chest and then to your sides again. Good, you've got the hang of it.”

“I’m a quick study,” Bulma replied with a wink.

“Do ten reps of the first exercise then immediately followed by ten reps of the second exercise, doing 3 sets of each. Got it?” he asked, setting down his weights.

“Yup! Got it.” Bulma began the first exercise before she realized Vegeta was just standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. Watching her. “Are you just going to stand there and watch me?”

“I have to make sure your form is good.”

“Oh,” Bulma mumbled, forcing her eyes to look anywhere other than Vegeta’s intense gaze.

Vegeta stood there watching as the woman moved. Every time she lifted her arms her breasts became accentuated. He tried not to stare, but it was incredibly difficult. He noticed that she was doing her very best not to look at him, so he decided that it wouldn't be so terrible if he looked. Just for a second… Her breasts were pushed together tightly in that pink sports bra she was wearing and would make any man stop and stare. The tight yoga pants she wore defined her thick thighs and round ass perfectly and he thought about how it felt pressed against his front earlier. Her tiny hands gripped the dumbbells and made him think about what else they could firmly grip.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bulma noticed that Vegeta was staring at her - in a way that suggested it wasn't at her form. His eyes were somewhat glazed over as he stared at her. She slowing turned her head to look at him. His stance was stoic and stiff. He still had his arms across his chest, although she could see a sliver of his pecs. His ripped shirt left his shoulders and arms bare, letting Bulma get a good view of his veiny forearms. Still continuing her reps, her eyes traveled down to his stomach and landed on his rock hard abs. She remembered how they felt under her fingers earlier. Her eyes still making their was downward, she took in his insanely muscular thighs encased in those damn spandex shorts he wore and thoughts of what they could be hiding came to Bulma’s mind.

The sound of someone dropping a dumbbell back into its cradle snapped them back to reality. Bulma dropped her arms to her sides gripping the dumbbells tight.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Vegeta said, taking the weights from Bulma’s grasp. They both were avoiding eye contact. Shaking his head clear of all the dirty images he conjured of the woman, he said, “let’s move on to some leg workouts. These are called walking lunges. Have you heard of them before?”

“I think so,” Bulma said softly. Her mind was still reeling a little from what just happened.

“Hold a dumbbell in each hand, step forward a few feet with one leg, then lower your body into a lunge position until your knee is almost touching the floor. Without pausing, push off from your foot taking a step forward into another lunge position and just keep alternating like that, keeping the weights down at your sides,” he demonstrated. Bulma had to try her hardest not to get distracted by his ass. He turned and handed her back the weights. Their fingers touched briefly and they both felt that little electricity they felt before when he had grabbed her earlier. Bulma looked up into his eyes, but he ignored her and just stepped back so she could get into position, what happened between them pushed out of their minds.

After crossing the distance of the gym several times, Vegeta said that was enough lunges for the day. “Man, I didn't think all of that was gonna make me so sore,” Bulma groaned, handing over the weights to Vegeta.

“That’s what you get for being weak and pathetic,” he said, placing the dumbbells back onto their rack.

“Hey! You were doing so well at not being an ass before,” she bellowed, slapping him on the shoulder.

“Don’t mistake me being a good trainer as kindness geared toward you,” he snapped back. “We are done for the day.”

“Wow. We actually made it through the day with minimal arguing. I call that a success!” Bulma said with a smile as she went to go pick up her gym bag. “Hey, thanks for still agreeing to train me even after I tried to throw something at your head, by the way,” she said seriously, looking Vegeta in the face.

“Whatever. I only agreed because you're needed for me to pass this practicum.”

“Gosh, you really don't know how to not be rude do you?”

Vegeta didn't respond and just picked up his own belongings, making his way for the door. “I have somewhere to be. See you next Saturday. And try not to be late next time,” he called over his shoulder.

Bulma stood there for a second watching the gym door swing shut behind him. She just rolled her eyes at his antics before making her way out of the gym herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping to keep chapters at around this length. Let me know if it was too long or if you felt that it just droned on.
> 
> Edited 04/11/19: minor grammatical changes


	4. The Internship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta starts his new internship and Bulma meets her new intern.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!
> 
> So this chapter is where Vegeta gets a little OOC. But I have a backstory for it. That I will explain at the end. 
> 
> Also, I think it's important to know Vegeta and Bulma's majors at this point. Vegeta is a Kinesiology and Physics major with a minor in Mathematics. Bulma has already completed a BS in Mathematics and Chemistry and right now her majors are Physics, Engineering, and Computer Science with a minor is Robotics. Bulma though is just basically going through the motions so she has the degrees to back up her intellect. Oh! And they all attend Stanford University which is in California. 
> 
> I would also like to point out that I was NOT a physics major or anything like it. I know just the basics of math and sciences, so I kinda am just talking out my butt when it comes to all that content. Science side of AO3, feel free to help a girl out!

**Chapter 4: The Internship**

 

Vegeta wiped the steam off his bathroom mirror, scowling at his reflection and started brushing his teeth. It was Monday afternoon, the first day of his new internship. He was curious as to what he’d be tasked with doing in this internship. It was for a company called Capsule Corporation and apparently it was very well known in the scientific community. Even though Vegeta was a Physics major, he never really paid much attention to the tech side and was more focused on the application to sports and other physical activities. But apparently the internship called for someone that was “physically fit” and since most science majors were anything but, his professor, Dr. Gero, thought that Vegeta would be a perfect fit. He didn’t mind much. He’d noticed before that his physique is more than a little intimidating, especially amongst his scrawnier classmates. And this internship was paid, so he didn't really care much if he was lugging boxes and equipment around all day.

After setting his toothbrush back in its holder, Vegeta mad his way over to his closet. The welcome email he received the other day said to dress casually and be prepared to soil clothing, so he pulled out an old pair of jeans that he didn't care much about but would still make him look presentable. He still wanted to make a somewhat good impression. He threw on a navy blue athleisure polo and some sneakers before grabbing his book bag and jacket, then headed out the door and to his beat up motorcycle in the underground garage. Revving its engine, he pulled out of the garage and made the trek to Capsule Corp.

When Vegeta pulled up to the building, he found the dome-shaped structure very… unique. The building was tan and dome-like with some towers and what looked like a few smaller buildings attached around the back. It appeared to have have only three floors, which was odd considering this was suppose to house the most advance technological company in the world and also doubled as the Briefs’s estate. As Vegeta walked in, he was greeted by the petite brunette sitting behind a long circular reception desk. “Hi! How can I help you today?” the woman asked, staring Vegeta up and down.

“I’m Vegeta Ouji from Stanford University. I’m suppose to intern for Dr. Briefs.”

“Oh! Yes, I was told to expect a new intern today. Let me get him for you. You can have a seat.”

Vegeta remained standing but walked over to the windows to look out at the expansive property. But he didn't get to see much because only a few seconds later, he was called back over and was being escorted through some security doors and into an atrium that looked more like a zoo. There were animals everywhere. A monkey swung down from a tree right near Vegeta’s head, while a peacock strode along the path in front of them. He could hear a bunch of birds in the distance and who knows what other animals were lurking in the foliage. The receptionist continued forward, completely at ease amongst all of the exotic animals, until they came across an elderly man sitting in front of a small streamthat ran through the room. The man had silver-purplish hair and glasses. Vegeta had to look twice because there appeared to be a small black cat perched on the man’s shoulder. _What other dimension did I just walk in to?_ Vegeta asked himself.

“Why hello Barbra! And who is that you have there with you today?” the old man inquired.

“This is Vegeta. He is your new intern sent by Dr. Gero, remember?”

The old man looked at Vegeta and smiled as he took out a pack of cigarettes from his lab coach pocket. “Oh yes! Of course! Thank you Barbie, you may leave us.” he dismissed the brunette. “Come take a seat, my boy,” the old man directed to Vegeta, patting the empty space next to him on the bench. Vegeta obliged, somewhat uncomfortable at how familiar the world-renowned scientist was being.

“Thank you, sir,” he said, taking the seat next to him. “Dr. Gero said that I would be assisting you in a new project of yours, sir?”

“Ah, yes. Well, not exactly.” Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows at those words. “I happened to mention something about a new project to Gero, but the project isn't mine. It is my daughter’s. You will be helping her with the more physical demands that she requires.” Dr. Briefs’s eyes seem to catch something over Vegeta’s shoulder. “Ah, here comes my daughter now,” he said, standing. Vegeta stood as well, turning to see who the old man’s daughter was. “This is my daughter-“

“Bulma?!” Vegeta all but yelled.

“Vegeta? What are you doing here?” Bulma asked, confused.

“Oh! You two know each other already? How wonderful. Bulma, Vegeta here is going to be your intern for that new project of yours,” Dr. Briefs said, enthusiastically.

“WHAT!” Bulma yelled, loud enough to scare some of the animals away.

“Bulma, sweetheart, what’s wrong now?,” came a voice with a southern accent. A middle-aged blonde woman came up from behind Bulma and put a hand on her shoulder. “Oooh, who do we have here?!” the lady exclaimed.

“Hello dear. This is Vegeta, Bulma’s new intern. Vegeta, this is my wife, Panchy.” Dr. Briefs said.

Vegeta offered his hand out to Panchy and she gently placed her fingers in his with a giggle. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“Oh my,” Panchy giggled, “what a gentleman. And not bad on the eyes either, right dear,” she asked her daughter.

“Mom!” Bulma screeched. “Don’t say that about Vegeta.”

“Oh, you two know each other?” Panchy asked.

“It would appear so, dear,” Dr. Briefs said, putting an arm around his wife.

“Bulma and I are neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Briefs,” Vegeta explained.

“Call me Panchy, dear. Oh! Wait, Bulma this can’t be the one that you're always complaining about. Vegeta just seems way too sweet.” Panchy exclaimed.

“Mom.” Bulma grumbled, avoiding eye contact with Vegeta. She still caught the shit-eating grin that spread across his face.

“You hear that, woman. I’m just too sweet.” Vegeta was starting to feel like this internship won’t be completely terrible.

“Ugh! Whatever. Mom, Dad, I’ll be down in the lab late tonight, so I won’t be at dinner.”

“Come on dear. I’m sure Vegeta doesn’t want to stay here all night,” Panchy chided. “Oh! How ‘bout you both join us for dinner! You always forget to take a breaks, sweetie. This way I can cook up a big spread. Vegeta looks like a young man who can eat and really appreciate my cooking.”

“Mom, that’s really not-”

“I’d be honored to join you all for dinner,” Vegeta interrupted. He was never one to pass up a free meal. Bulma glared at him.

“Wonderful! I better go stop by the grocery store. Bye dear,” Panchy said, kissing her husband on the cheek then leaving the room.

“Well, it was a pleasure meeting you Vegeta. I look forward to getting to know you better at dinner. I’ll leave you kids be.” And with that, Dr. Briefs walked away, farther into the jungle inside Capsule Corp.

 _Ugh! I can’t believe my parents. Inviting the stupid monkey to dinner. And what was he even doing here?!_ Bulma turned to Vegeta, “so, what, are you stalking me now?”

“What are you on about now, woman?” Vegeta asked, exasperated.

“It’s not enough for you to annoy me at our apartment building, now you have to bother me at my family’s home and company too? I’m starting to think you only agreed to train me so you can torture me at the gym also!” Bulma’s voice was starting to rise the more she spoke.

“Please,” Vegeta scoffed. “Like I’d want to spend more time than I already have to with you. I didn’t even know this was your family’s business.”

“Yeah, right. It’s not like we aren't the most successful and advanced tech company in the world or anything.”

“Despite what you may have been taught growing up, woman, the world doesn't revolve around you. I have more important things to worry about than if your family made it in the tabloids’ headlines this week. Now, like it or not, I’m here. So you can either give me something to do or I’d gladly just sit here while your father pays me $25 an hour.”

Bulma stood there raging. _Gah! The nerve of this guy!_ But then she had a sudden realization. _Vegeta is suppose to be_ my _intern. That means I’m the boss of him._ A slow grin spread across her face at all the things that she could make him do for her. She tried to school her face into a neutral expression as to not draw attention to her plan, but unwittingly failed.

“Okay, fine. I guess I have no choice but to accept your assistance.” She said, raising her hand out for him to shake.

“Fine,” Vegeta agreed, accepting her handshake. Then he pulled her arm to bring her closer to him, making her gasp. “Oh, and if you think you can boss me around, _woman_ ,” Vegeta said, towering over her - even with his short stature, “think again. I may be your intern, but I am no servant. Let’s not forget who the stronger being is here.”

“Is that a threat?” Bulma seethed, trying to ignore the pleasant feeling growing in her lower belly at his sudden domineering behavior.

“Woman, when I threaten you…” he gazed into her bright blue irises. Bulma held her breath at the intimidation in his dark eyes. She didn't miss the fact that he said _when_ and not _if_. “You’ll know.”

They stood there staring at each other, with Bulma still pressed up against Vegeta’s chest, for what felt like forever. Of their own accord, it seemed, their heads were inclining toward one another. Their faces were just centimeters apart before something seemed to snap Vegeta out of whatever spell they had been under and he practically shoved Bulma away. _What the hell_ , he thought. _Was I about to kiss her?_

Bulmaregained her balance and shook her head. Her mind was a whirlwind of confused thoughts. _Was I about to kiss Vegeta?!_ She needed to get ahold of herself. She wasn't attracted to that giant ape. _No way!_ She straighten up and stared Vegeta down, assuring herself that, no, she had not been about to kiss him. With that all brushed aside, her anger took over. “Let me point this out to you, _buddy_ ,” she said terrifyingly calmly. “You lay a finger on me again without my consent, it won’t matter who the stronger one is.”

“You threatening me now?” Vegeta asked, irritated that he was turned on by her calm rage. He also didn't miss the fact that she said he couldn't touch her ‘without her consent.’ _Interesting_.

“You better believe it. Now we can either stand here all day threatening each other, or you can come do the goddamn job my father is paying you for.” And with that, Bulma turned on her heal and walked away. Vegeta rolled his eyes, but followed a few steps behind.

Vegeta followed her through an archway and to a hallway with large sets of metal elevator doors. She stood in front of one and waved some card in front of a scanner, then out popped a retinal and handprint scanner. When the elevator doors opened, she stepped in while Vegeta just stood there, still dumbstruck by the security measures. He was almost afraid to see where they were going.

“Are you just gonna stand there all day or are you going to get in?” Bulma stood in the elevator with her arms crossed, scowling at Vegeta. “I don't have all night.” Vegeta screwed up his face and silently stepped onto the elevator.

The space was big. Almost like a freight elevator only fancier. But even in the large space, and even though they were nowhere near standing close to each other, it felt like they were in the smallest room on the planet. There was an odd static in the air that they both chalked up to some weird science experiment happening somewhere around them. Suddenly, Bulma started thinking about _Grey’s Anatomy_ and what happens in elevators on the show, making her cheeks pink. _Why does this keep happening?!_ Bulma shouted at herself. _I do not like Vegeta!_ And even though she screamed this like a mantra in her head, it didn't stop her from looking at him from the corner of her eye. She stared at his lips, how the material of his polo clung to his muscles in the most unprofessional way, and how his jeans hugged his hips perfectly. She was almost salivating before Vegeta turned his head and glared at her before grumpily stating, “What?”

Bulma jumped. “Nothing,” she said, turning her head to look straight ahead. Although that wasn't much better since she could still see him in the mirrored doors of the elevator. But to Bulma’s mercy, the doors finally slid open, revealing the basement.

They stepped out into a hallway, passing a few doors on either side of them. Vegeta looked through one of the little windows to one of the doors and could see a bunch of men in lab coats standing around a giant sphere that Vegeta couldn't even begin to guess what is was. He moved along to find the woman stopped at the big metal double doors at the end of the hall which had its own sets of scanners - one of which appeared to be for DNA. He stopped right behind her and she jumped as she realized he was there. “Jeez, don't sneak up on me like that, you creep.” Vegeta ignored her.

The doors slid open to reveal a huge laboratory, with blue tiled floors and fluorescent lighting. The room was two levels, with the top level having a railing that overlooked the bottom. Two sets of stairs, one on the right and one on the left, led down to the bottom floor. Stepping through the doors, Bulma made her way down a set of stairs, walking to the desk that followed the entire length of the far wall where about a dozen computer screens were mounted above, covering the rest of the wall. Vegeta stayed on the top floor overlooking the railing. The wall occupying the space under the railing was full of different tools and other forms of hardware. There were two sets of double doors on the left and right sides of the room on both floors. Vegeta assumed they were storage or led to freight elevators. The bottom floor had about three small tables - all with varying degrees of disarray - that looked to be work benches. He stood there with his arms crossed watching the woman take a seat on the stool in front of one of the tables. She put on a pair of thick work gloves and a pair of goggles that bore her name on the head-strap. She picked up a weird looking tool and started tinkering with the big mechanical object in front of her. A spike of pleasure ran through him and he had to avert his eyes. He made his way down the steps and started looking around at everything. Bulma could see him moving about the lab and it was started to get on her last nerve.

“Would you sit down!” she yelled at him. “You moving back and forth is driving me nuts.”

“I thought you were going to give me something to do, not just have me twiddling my thumbs while you mess with that hunk of junk.” Vegeta pointed at the object in front of her.

“It’s not a hunk of junk. This is an important component in my latest invention.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

Bulma squinted her eyes at him, trying to see if he was just trying to tease her or if he really was curious. She decided to answer anyways. “It’s one of the main engines for a gravity enhancement simulator. I’m trying to create a room in which the gravity can be increased. I’ve gotten a small chamber to go up to 3 times Earth’s gravity so far. I’m hoping to get to a larger scale soon. This is the prototype for a room thats 12’ by 12’. The only issue is figuring out how to keep the pressure and speed going for enough force to be exerted, all while having the room stay stationary.” She was rambling now. But this was the issue that had been plaguing her for weeks now.

“What will the room be used for?” Vegeta asked, bringing her out of her head.

“The military is offering top dollar to utilize it for endurance and strength training. If it works, it'll be used by astronauts as well.”

“Why are _you_ making it?”

She looked up at him quizzically, not fully understanding his question. “What do you mean?”

“If you aren't going to use the machine for yourself, what’s the point of making it?”

Bulma’s eyes went wide behind her goggles. She stared at Vegeta for a second too long before she answered, “ I just want to see if it’s possible. We’ve been able to simulate zero gravity, why not try increasing it? If it can be done, I want to be the one to figure it out.”

He was surprised by her answer. He’d never seen this side of her before. He knew she was smart, but he never thought she was this smart. And he never would’ve guessed that the tiny woman full of rage was also full of resolve and determination. It was… hot. _Man, I need to get laid._

“Sorry,” Bulma said, misunderstanding his furrowed brow as annoyance. “I ramble sometimes when I’m stuck. That got deep way to quickly.”

“Whatever,” he grumbled, turning his head away.

Bulma was confused by his reaction. “Well, how ‘bout I give you something to do. You're studying physics and math right? Care to crunch some numbers for me?”

“I thought this was suppose to be about physical labor?”

“What,” Bulma smirked, “too afraid to show that you really are all brawn and no brains?”

“Tsch. I’m the whole package, woman. What do you need me to do?”

She tried to not think about anything regarding Vegeta’s _package_ and just got up and headed to the wall of computers. She logged in and started pulling up a program for Vegeta to look over. “I need you to go through all of these equations and make sure there are no mistakes. I feel like something is off in the math and a second pair of eyes could be beneficial. Think you can handle that?”

“Of course I can, woman.” He sat down in the swivel chair and got to work. Bulma went back to work on the engine.

Hours passed without either of the two uttering two words to each other. Around 7 o’clock, one of the jumbo screens turned on, showing the face of Bulma’s father. “Hey kids!” he said happily, making the two jump.

“Dad!” Bulma yelled. “You almost made me destroy my lasted alteration!”

“Sorry dear, but your mother asked me to call you and Vegeta up for dinner.”

“Oh! I completely lost track of time. We’ll be right up.”

The computer went back to black and Bulma began taking off her gloves and goggles. Vegeta got up from the computer chair and began stretching out his arms. As Bulma stood, she caught a view of Vegeta’s stretching, and she stopped all her movements. _God, he was sexy…_

“What are you looking at?” he grumbled, as he caught her staring.

“You walk around with muscles like that and you expect people not to stare? Yeah, right.” Burma rolled her eyes, walking over to him and looked at the computer he’d been working on. “How far did you get in the program?”

“I went through all the equations first to see how you had them working together. There was a few mistakes in variables to this equation, so this one had to be slightly altered,” he said over her shoulder, pointing at the screen in front of her.

Bulma was shocked. She never thought the giant ape actually had a brain. “Wow. Never expected you to actually have a working brain cell in that skull of yours. This really works out well. Good job,” she appreciated, turning her head to give him a smile. She hadn't realized that he was so close to her and as she turned toward him, their noses almost touched. Bulma fumbled backwards. She tried to catch herself on the ledge of the desk, but her hand slipped, so she braced herself for the fall. But she never hit the ground. It took her a second before she realized that Vegeta had caught her. And she was being cradled against his chest. His incredibly warm, muscular chest. She looked up at him from below her lashes. He was staring down at her. He looked utterly lost. There heads seemed to be doing that thing like earlier, inclining of their own volition. Bulma could hear her blood rushing in her ears. And maybe that’s why she hadn't heard the laboratory doors open.

“Bulma, Vegeta- oh!”

Vegeta and Bulma both turned toward the intruder, still holding on to each other.

“I didn't mean to interrupt anything,” Panchy said suggestively. “I’ll just leave you two alone and save you guys a plate for later.”

“Wait, mom, it’s not what it looks like,” Bulma tried to explain, reluctantly pushing away from Vegeta.

“Oh, I’m no prude, sweetie. I know you're a grown woman and you have needs.”

“MOM!”

Panchy jumped at her daughter’s outburst. “Inside voice, dear.”

Bulma spared a glance at Vegeta. He was standing stoically, seeming to be ignoring her and her mother. Bulma groaned, walking around her mother. “Let’s just go eat.”

The elevator ride between Bulma, Vegeta, and Panchy was incredibly awkward to say the least.

“Now I made a big spread, so I hope you aren't allergic to anything Vegeta.” Panchy said, brushing her fingers along Vegeta’s bicep.

“No worries, ma’am. No allergies. And I am by no means a picky eater either.”

“Wonderful!”

The elevator came to a stop on the second floor and Panchy was the first to skip off toward the kitchen. Vegeta made his way out next and Bulma sluggishly followed. _What is happening?!_ She screamed in her head. _That’s twice in one day that they almost kissed. Ugh! Maybe this is just residual sexual tension from the breakup with Yamcha_ , she thought. She hadn't been with a man since him and that was months ago. She really needed to relieve some of this sexual frustration because she refuses to end up with the one guy she's hated for the past two years. _Maybe hate is a strong word…_

They turned the corner into the wing that held the family kitchen and dining area. “After you,” Vegeta said, letting Bulma walk to the kitchen before him.

“Thanks…” She gave him a skeptical look before heading to the dining table where they saw Panchy taking a seat next to her husband, who was already seated at the table.

 

_To be continued…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing little cliffhangers... heeheehee
> 
> I also plan to further fledge out the interior design of Capsule Corp. Since we don't know much about it to begin with, I'm taking a lot of artistic liberties. I'm someone who really likes a detailed setting. 
> 
> So, I wanted Vegeta to be a gentleman and "nice" to Bulma's parents because I find the opposition of Vegeta's behavior towards Panchy and his behavior towards Bulma to be funny. I like that Panchy just loves Vegeta so much and finds him to be such a gentleman even though he's, like, not. And Bulma will try to get her parents to understand but they just won't. I also have this explanation that Vegeta was older when he lost his parents so they were able to instill a sense of manners and pride in him being a gentleman. There's more to explain in Vegeta's backstory, but that'll come later... ;)
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!


	5. Dine and Dash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with the Brief's family. 
> 
> Bulma begins to learn a little more about her grumpy neighbor and things get a little physical...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for this chapter, I'd like to explain a bit how I have Capsule Corp. set up in my head. Basically the basement contains all the labs and science stuff. The first floor is the company store front and has the Atrium from last chapter and the gym. The top two floors are the Brief's home and in my head its basically a mansion that sits atop Capsule Corp. (kinda like a business that has a house above it). 
> 
> I had a little bit of writer's block during this chapter. But I think it turned out well. Also disclaimer, I have very little knowledge of MMA tournaments and just rolled with whatever sounded okay to me, so I apologize for any inaccuracies. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! 
> 
>  
> 
> Remember, I own nothing!

**Chapter 5: Dine and Dash**  
****

 

The dining room table was laden with food. There was fried chicken, ribs, smoked sausage, mashed potatoes and baked potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob, brussel sprouts, baked macaroni and cheese, fresh biscuits and cornbread, with a cherry cobbler, blueberry pie and pecan pie for dessert. Vegeta didn't think he’d seen so much food at one table before. Bulma just rolled her eyes, used to her mother’s “hospitable” antics. She took a seat across from her father, while Vegeta just kept standing near by. 

“Come have a seat next to Bulma, dear, before the food gets cold,” Panchy said, waving her hand to the empty chair in front of her and starting to fill his plate with food.   

Vegeta pulled out the chair next to the woman and sat down stiffly. Vegeta hadn't forgotten about what happened back at the lab. Or in the foyer. He glanced at the woman from the corner of his eye and caught her placing a napkin in her lap. He couldn't help but think of what she would look like in _his_ lap.  

“So, Vegeta,” Panchy began, interrupting Vegeta’s dirty thoughts. He was relieved for the distraction from the woman next to him. “I hope my Bulma has been treating you well.” _Crap._

“Mom…”

“Bulma, you know you can get grouchy when you work in the lab for too long. I just want to make sure you aren't taking it out on poor Vegeta here,” Panchy stated, making Vegeta flash a smirk Bulma’s way.  

“Poor Vegeta!?”

“Inside voice dear,” Panchy chided, before a glint came to her eye. “Although, I don’t know why I am askin’ since you two seemed to be gettin’ along just fine when I came down to get you earlier,” she giggled.  

“MOM!”

“Oh come now, Bulma. You and Yamcha have been broken up for months now. It’s time to get back on the horse! And Vegeta is such a dashing young man,” Panchy continued, smiling kindly at Vegeta, making his cheeks flush slightly. _This dinner conversation escalated quickly_ , he thought. He could see that Bulma’s face was as red as a tomato. From anger or embarrassment, he didn't know.  

“So, Vegeta, do you have any other interests besides physics?” Dr. Briefs asked, changing the subject and taking pity on the two.   

Vegeta let out a sigh of relief. “I actually am a Kinesiology major as well. And I recently added a mathematics minor. I am more focused on the application of physics within sports. I compete in MMA fights and the things I've learned in class have helped me out more than once or twice.”  

Bulma couldn't help but blatantly stare at Vegeta. She had no idea he did cage fights. “You cage fight?”  

“Interesting,” Dr. Briefs said, at the same moment Panchy gasp, “Oh my!” 

Vegeta halted the trek his fork was making toward his mouth and turned to look at the woman. Her eyes were wide - her fork midway to her mouth as well - and Vegeta couldn't discern the emotion that was hiding behind those bright blue irises of hers. “Yeah,” he finally answered, still staring into her eyes. “I started out in small tournaments as a way to make some quick money. Once I started winning, it became much more than a hobby. I’ve actually considered the possibility of going pro. But that’s just a maybe, depending on how everything goes after graduation. For now, I’m just trying to prepare for the West City Amateur Tournaments that are coming up soon.” Vegeta still didn't take his eyes off Bulma’s. _Why did I say all that?_

Bulma didn't think she'd ever heard him speak this much before. Especially about himself. She knew she should feel unnerved as he stared into her eyes, telling her these pieces of himself, but she didn’t. She could feel a tingling in her belly. _Are those butterflies I feel?_

Panchy watched the two stare at each other and couldn't help the smug smile on her face. _Those two will be perfect together…_ “Oh, how fascinating!” she said, making the two finally break their eye contact. “You know, Bulma is actually taking kickboxing lessons. Maybe you could show her some moves!”

Vegeta coughed on a piece of chicken. “Um, yeah. I’m actually the one that’s training her…” He side glanced at Bulma and could see her blush.

“Oh how wonderful! It looks like you two will be seeing a lot of each other, what with the training and the internship.” Panchy was as excited as Bulma and Vegeta were embarrassed. She continued despite that fact. “Oh! You can do your training here!”

This brought Vegeta out of his uncomfortableness. “What do you mean?”

Dr. Briefs spoke up this time. “We have a gym here on the compound. There’s even a sparring ring in there too.”

Vegeta almost dropped his fork. “Why didn't you tell me that, woman?!” he barked at Bulma.

“Hey, don't shout at me. And why would I? It’s not like I ever go in there and it wasn't important.”

“Show me. After dinner.”

“Who do you think you are, bossing me around-”

“Of course Bulma will show you,” Panchy interrupted. Bulma glared at her. “Right dear?”

“Fine,” Bulma huffed. 

Vegeta looked smug. Bulma stuck her tongue out at him and kicked him under the table. “Tsch,” he scoffed. Panchy gave her daughter a disapproving look. 

“Vegeta,” Dr. Brief’s chimed in. “Tell me more about this tournament you were talking about. Explain the logistics to me, if you would.”

Vegeta cleared his throat, excited to talk about the one thing he really loves. “So the tournament is about a three month long process. There are different brackets and tons of small bouts - which are basically short miniature fights that are timed and based on points and not necessarily knock outs - before the semi-finals and then about another month before the finals. It all depends on how many people are registered for the tournament to see how many brackets there will be. There are also several weight-classes too and that further breaks everything up. So I really won’t know what I’m getting myself into until the tournament starts.”

“Interesting. And what weight-class are you?”

“I’m a middleweight, which is a little rare considering my height. But I worked hard to get out of lightweight class.” 

“When did you start training?”

“My parents were always proponents for being able to defend oneself. My father being a military man, he taught me to fight at a young age. When they died, a family friend took me in and he owned a community boxing studio, so I started out learning kickboxing and then I learned Muay Thai and Brazilian-Jujitsu right around freshman year of college. I also know some French kickboxing and basic Tae Kwon Do.”

“Oh my,” Panchy exclaimed. “That’s quite a list of skills.”

“Agreed. You’re a rather well-rounded young man, my boy.” Dr. Brief’s said enthusiastically. 

Bulma was still in shock at the new information regarding Vegeta’s parents and upbringing, but she remained silent as he and her father continued talking. 

“Do you need a sponsor?”

Vegeta was taken aback by that question. “I’m not sure, honestly. It depends on how for I get in the tournament I’d think.”

“Well, if you ever need anything to advance in this area, I’d be more than happy to offer any assistance. I find fighting a fascinating sport.” Vegeta just nodded at this. 

The rest of dinner was ate in mostly silence, with the occasional casual question to Vegeta.

* * *

Bulma walked toward a different elevator than the one that took them down to the labs, Vegeta noticed. This elevator didn't have all the security measures like the last one did. When the doors opened, they both walked forward into the elevator and accidentally bumped shoulders. There was a spark that neither denied this time. Bulma looked up at Vegeta and she was met with black eyes staring back. The doors shut and something came over them then. They didn't know who moved first, but somehow Bulma ended up against the elevator wall and Vegeta had his hands in her hair. They were both breathing heavy, their lips almost touching. Then there was a sudden ding and the elevator doors opened. They stood like that for a bit, until Vegeta pushed himself away from Bulma and walked out of the elevator, leaving Bulma alone. _What is happening?!_ they both thought.

Vegeta kept walking, away from the woman, even though he had no clue as to where he was going. Bulma finally found herself and began following Vegeta. 

They made their way through a large hallway that led to a single set of double doors made of metal and glass. Vegeta pushed through the doors and entered the most top of the line gym he's ever been in. The room was larger than a football field and was a lot of glass, metal, and mirrors. Equipment and machines were lined up in several rows throughout the room; punching bags, ellipticals, treadmills, squatting machines, and rows and rows of dumbbells in differing weights. And in the corner sat a professional sized sparring ring. Vegeta was in awe, the moment in elevator temporarily forgotten. _This is heaven._

Vegeta began walking around the room and Bulma stood against the kitchen counter right off the entrance. _He looks like a kid in a candy shop_ , Bulma thought. She watched him as he picked up dumbbells and gave tentative punches to the punching bags. Bulma found watching him somewhat fascinating. The scowl that was usually permanently plastered on his face was gone. He looked the most relaxed she's ever seen him. It was interesting how a room that she’d stepped foot in maybe twice in her whole life brought him so much happiness in just a few seconds. All of a sudden, she felt that fluttery feeling in her belly again. 

“How could you have not told me about this place, woman?” Vegeta asked, turning toward Bulma.

Bulma scoffed, trying to push down her butterflies since the feeling increased as he stared at her. “When would I have told you? It’s not like we are friends and have meaningful conversations or I invite you over to hang out or anything. I only brought you down here because my mother likes you for some odd reason and demands we always be the perfect of hosts.” She turned away from his gaze to grab a gatorade from the fridge. 

Vegeta walked up behind her and leaned against the counter, “Fair.” He stood there with his arms crossed as he watched Bulma unscrew the cap to her drink and take a long swig. He watched her throat bob as she shallowed and his mind went straight into the gutter. He quickly turned to look over the gym again. He needed to get his mind off the woman standing next to him. And what better way to do that than to utilize the equipment in the room in front of him. _Well, that also depends on the definition of “equipment in the room,”_ he thought as he glanced to the woman next to him. He was disgusted with himself by the thought - not just because of who it was geared towards, but also by the sheer sexist and misogynistic turn his brain went to. His libido must be truly out of control. And he hated it. He shook his head and stepped forward. “Let’s train,” he said suddenly, turning to the woman in question. 

Bulma’s eyes were wide with confusion. “What?”

“Let’s train. You have a state of the art gym here that looks like it’s barely been used. So let’s use it.”

“We just trained on Saturday,” Bulma whined, trying to get out of this situation. Vegeta seemed way too determined though and didn't seem like he was going to let her back out of this. 

“So. I train everyday,” he said nonchalantly.

“Everyday! That’s insane. I barely workout once a month,” Bulma exclaimed.

“Yeah, it shows.”

“What is that suppose to mean?” She said, crossing her arms. She was clearly offended. _Good_ , Vegeta thought. He wanted to get a rise out of her. It would get him his way. 

He smirked. “You’re pathetically weak, woman.”

Bulma was enraged. “I am not!”

“Oh yeah? Then why’d you sign up for boxing lessons? It was for self-defense, right?” Vegeta retorted with a smug smile.

Bulma hated to admit that he was right. She knew she wasn't very strong. But there’s no chance in hell that she was going let him get the best of her. “So. That doesn’t necessarily make me weak. And even if I’m not the strongest physically, my brain more than makes up for it,” she finished smugly. 

Vegeta wasn’t done yet. “That may be true.” He walked toward her. “But what would you do if I came at you right now?”

Bulma stood there a little dumbfounded. She’d never actually been attacked before. She did know how to use a gun, but didn't always carry one with her. There’s no knives or anything in the gym’s kitchen either. Vegeta noticed her looking around the room and he knew she was looking for something to use as a weapon. “Stop,” he said to her. He went to stand right in front of her. “Focus only on me. Because by the time it takes you to find something, I could already have you knocked out.” He threw a punch toward her then and Bulma instinctively threw up her hands to cover her face, letting out a scared squeak. She waited a moment and then realized that his fist never came close to connecting to her face. She moved her hands away and stared at him in shock. “I’m not saying that there aren't instances where you should be looking for a weapon, that’s just not the scenario I’m giving you right now. You have to be able to think of your body as its own weapon.” 

Bulma was annoyed with him for playing her like he had, so she swung her arm back and went to punch him. But he was faster and grabbed ahold of her fist before it could come anywhere near his face like she intended. “And if you were to actually punch me right now, you’d break your wrist or one of your metacarpals. Boxers usually have micro-fractures in their knuckles that build up over time that actually help make the bones in their fists stronger. And that’s also another reason weight training is so important; to further strengthen your bones and your punches,” he clinically stated. Bulma just stood there with her fist enveloped in Vegeta’s hand, not really knowing what to do with herself. “Now,” Vegeta said, “let’s train.” He released her hand and walked toward the doors of the gym. “I have some workout clothes in my car. I’ll be right back.” He looked Bulma up and down, taking in her grey overalls tied at the waist and her grease covered tank top. “You might want to change into something more appropriate as well.” And with that he walked out, leaving her there alone. 

_What in the world? Who did he think he was?_ Bulma thought. But she was intrigued by this little stunt of Vegeta’s. She signed up for his classes so she could learn to punch people. And she was getting a little excited thinking about him finally teaching her how to do just that. So she left the gym and made her way up to her old room to see what she had that she could change into. She opened her dresser and found a pair of orange mess Nike running shorts and a navy blue sports bra. She quickly threw it on and made her way back down to the gym. When she entered she saw that Vegeta was already back. And she had caught him in the middle of taking off his shirt. Bulma’s eyes about bugged out of her head. _Thank God he’d already changed into his gym shorts before I got here_ , she thought. Vegeta threw his shirt down into his gym bag. He turned and caught Bulma’s eye. He took in her appearance too. _Why does she never wear a goddamn shirt when she works out?_

Bulma shook her head before she started drooling at the sight of the shirtless man in front of her. “So, are you just not gonna wear a shirt?” she asked.

“Are you?” 

Her mouth dropped open at his retort. She looked down at her chest and her arms automatically went to cover her boobs. “Perv!”

Vegeta let out a light chuckle. “You’re one to talk. What with that look you were just giving me. It’s like you were devouring me with your eyes, woman.”

Bulma puffed out her cheeks. “Oh shut up and let’s train already.” She walked past him, farther into the room. “Where do you want me?”

Vegeta had to physically force himself from saying something completely inappropriate in response, as a vision of him pushing her up against the wall came to his mind. _God, I need some sort of release soon,_ he thought. And he wasn't about to take the woman here, so throwing punches was going to have to be enough for now. “Ever been in that ring before?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “No.”

Vegeta walked toward the sparring ring and pushed down some of the ropes with his foot and pushed up the others over his head, making a gap and motioning for her to go through. “Well, hop on up then,” he instructed. She hesitantly made her way over and very carefully maneuvered her way through the ropes, making sure she never touched Vegeta. He joined her in the ring and brought out two mitten-looking things with him out of his bag. He put the mittens on his hands. “Now. We’re gonna do some light punching exercises so I can determine where you are with your swings. So just punch right here,” he said, hitting the red circle in the middle of his gloved hands. 

“Are you kidding?”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” he said, annoyance clearly heard in his voice. 

Bulma huffed, annoyed herself. She stepped up in front of Vegeta and pulled back her arm, swinging her fist toward Vegeta’s palms. And she missed. She tried again, and again she missed. “What the hell!” she yelled, frustrated. 

“You know, woman. The point is to actually make contact with my hand.” Vegeta said with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Shut up!” Bulma screeched.

“Here.” He took one of his hands out of the gloves and threw it to the ground. He grabbed her wrist and placed her fist in the center of his gloved hand. He repeatedly tapped her fist against his palm. 

“What are you doing?”

“This way you know what it’s like to actually make contact. Try again.” He let her go. She stared at him confused, but swung her arm back anyways. This time she actually hit him in the glove. She did it again. 

“Wow! That really worked.” To say she was surprised would be an understatement.

“I do have a brain, remember.”

“It’s easy to forget when you're all muscle like that.” Her cheeks flushed at her own words. 

Vegeta ignored her and took off his other mitt. He walked around her and grabbed her elbow. 

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“God, woman, why are you so loud all the time. I’m going to help you with your form.” _Oh, you haven't even heard me be loud._ Bulma had to push out the sudden suggestive thought out of her head as he slowly moved his hand down to hold her fist. “Loosen your grip. And never tuck your thumbs in like that. Now when you bring your arm around like you were, that’s called an overhand right punch. Make sure you aren’t too tense when you throw a punch. And always be protecting yourself with you other arm.” He grabbed her other arm then and put it up in front of her. Bulma had to really concentrate on his words because the stance they were in was very uncomfortable for her. And only uncomfortable in the sense that she was really struggling with having him pressed against her back and his hands on her. She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. He was only slightly taller than her and she could feel his warm chest against her bare lower back. He caught her looking at him and they locked eyes. 

Something happened then. All of a sudden Bulma was spun around  in Vegeta’s arms - either she did it or he did, they didn't know - and she had her arms around his neck. Vegeta had his hands circling her waist, resting on the bare skin of her lower back. And their mouths moved on their own and before the other knew it, they were kissing passionately. Bulma’s feet fumbled and they ended up on the floor of the sparring ring, but they never broke their kiss. Vegeta slid his tongue against Bulma’s bottom lip, asking for entrance. She obliged and their tongues began the fight for dominance. Bulma moaned into Vegeta’s mouth and pulled at his hair. She could feel his hands exploring her body. His hands grabbed at her ass and she couldn't help the groan that escaped her, forcing their lips apart finally. Vegeta stared down at the woman underneath him. Her lips were swollen from their vigorous kissing. They were both breathing heavily. A cold chill suddenly ran down Vegeta’s spine as he looked in the bright blue of Bulma’s eyes. 

“I need to go,” he said gruffly, pushing off the ground and away from Bulma. 

“What?” she asked breathlessly, sitting up to stare at him.

He didn't say a word to her and just jumped down from the ring. He picked up his gym bag and made his way for the exit. He pushed open the doors and walked out into the hallway, leaving abaffled Bulma behind him. On his way out he bumped into Mrs. Briefs.

“Oh! Vegeta. Is everything alright, dear?” she asked, concern in her voice. She took in his appearance and had to remember that she was a married woman and that she was literally old enough to be his mother. 

“I’m fine, ma’am. It was nice meeting you. Thank you again for dinner.” He tried to make his way around Panchy, but she stood her ground. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? You seem a little out of breathe.”

“I’m alright. I was just sparring with your daughter.” _God, that sounded dirty. "_ I was on my way out, actually. It’s getting late.”

“Oh! Alright then. And you are right, dear. It is getting late. You’re welcome to stay the night if you don't want to make the trip back to your apartment.”

“That’s okay, ma’am. It’s not that far a drive.” There’s no way he’d be able to stay in the same home as the woman right now. “Thank you for the offer, though. And thanks again for everything. Have a good night.” And with that he made his way to the elevator and out the front doors of Capsule Corp.

Panchy was left in the hall stunned. She made her way to the gym doors and found Bulma jumping down from the practice ring. 

“What happened with Vegeta, honey?” she questioned.

“No idea, mom. I’m gonna head home,” Bulma said flatly.

Panchy looked at the sullen expression on her daughter’s face. “Are you okay, Bulma?”

“Yeah, mom. I’m fine. Just tired. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Bulma hugged her mother and walked out of the gym. 

Panchy watched her daughter walk away. She shook her head sadly. “Oh those two…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wouldn't it be funny if Panchy got in on Chi Chi and 18's bet? Haha
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry for not posting last week. Like I said, I had some writer's block. I also started my new job and then my mom was injured in a car accident last weekend, so that all kinda kept me from posting. But everything and everyone is okay! I'm hoping to get a regular posting schedule going eventually. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I am so excited to be writing this story.


	6. Conflict(ed)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bulma tries to deal with the aftermath of Vegeta walking out on her and by doing so, she runs into the said monkey at a coffee shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rather like this chapter. Enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> I own nothing!

**Chapter 6: Conflict(ed)**

 

Bulma walked into the apartment less than half an hour after Vegeta practically ran away from her parents’ house. She was still confused by everything that happened. She wasn't entirely sure _what_ happened honestly. It was all so quick. She brought her fingers to her still slightly swollen lips. _Although, I can’t say I disliked what happened…_ Then the image of Vegeta walking away came back to her and she her heart ached a little. Chi Chi and 18 called to Bulma from the kitchen. They were both covered in flour and Bulma could smell cookies baking.

“Hey B, you okay?” Chi Chi asked, noticing the downcast look on her face.

“Yeah. You look weird.” 18 said. 

“I kissed Vegeta!” Bulma blurted out.

Chi Chi and 18 just stared at Bulma completely shocked. Then a huge grin spread across 18’s face. “Finally!” she yelled.

Bulma screwed up her face. “What the hell you mean ‘finally’?”

18 sent Chi Chi a look. Chi Chi stepped around the kitchen island to stand directly in front of Bulma. “B, you and Vegeta have always had a certain… chemistry-”

“Ptsh. Chemistry.” 18 scoffed, making her own way around to Bulma. “B, you and Vegeta just need to fuck already and put us all out of our misery,” she said bluntly.

“What?! I don’t want to sleep with Vegeta!” Bulma yelled, her cheeks turning pink.

18 crossed her arms. “Oh yeah?”

“Yes! I can’t believe you’d ever think I’d want to have sex with that jackass!”

“Really? You’ve never checked him out when he’s shirtless or in those tight, tight spandex shorts of his?” 18 asked.

Bulma puffed out her cheeks, “well who hasn’t? Just because I’ve looked doesn't mean I'm gonna share a bed with him!”

“Uh huh.” 18 said unconvinced, “So you're telling me that when you two get into an argument so heated that you don’t think about how hot the hate sex would be? You’ve _never_ wanted to bump uglies with that sexy piece of man?” Bulma didn't respond. “Ha! I knew it! You totally do, so might as well just do it. He’s right next door. All you gotta do is go over ther-”

“Shut up!” Bulma yelled, her face as red as a tomato at 18’s words.

“Okay 18 that’s enough,” Chi Chi said. “Come on Bulma, how ‘bout we let you explain what happened,” she said, leading her over to the couch and shooting 18 a dirty look over her shoulder. 18 just rolled her eyes and followed them over to the living room. “So… you kissed Vegeta,” Chi Chi said.

Bulma sat on the couch feeling uncomfortable and wishing she hadn't just blurted that out. “Yes,” she agreed, wringing out her hands. Chi Chi put a hand on her knee. Then 18 spoke up. 

“Hey, B. You know you can tell us anything. We’re always here for you even if I’m a bitch sometimes,” 18 said with a sincere smile.

Bulma returned the smile. She took a deep breath. “So you know that Vegeta’s my self defense coach right?” The girls nodded. “And you know that I’m working on a project and needed an intern to help me?” 18 and Chi Chi’s eyes grew big with realization. Bulma’s words began to come out faster. “Vegeta’s my intern. So now I have to have him helping me out around the lab. And it wasn't so bad today honestly. He’s actually really smart and helped me out with a math issue. I mean there was a bit of an argument beforehand where he threatened me, but I took care of that. But then my mom invited him to stay for dinner and things got oddly personal. And there were also some… instances where we _almost_ kissed. And then he wanted to see the gym and practically demanded that we train and then it just kinda happened and it was great.” Bulma stopped and dropped her head, “and then he just left.”

“What do you mean he just left?” Chi Chi asked.

“We were making out in the sparring ring-”

“Go girl!” 18 approved. Chi Chi smacked her. 

Bulma just rolled her eyes. “We were just making out and then he got really handsy and it was nice and then he stops and just goes ‘I need to go’ and he just left.”

The girls sat in silence for a bit. 18 was the first to speak. “What an ass.” Chi Chi and Bulma stared at her blankly for a split second before busting out laughing. 18 pursed her lips at her two laughing roommates. “Well he is!” she said with a smile in her voice and before long she was laughing too. 

“Thanks guys,” Bulma said, pulling her two roommates into a side hug. “I really needed that.”

"No problem, B! Like 18 said, we’ll always be here for you. No judgement.” Chi Chi squeezed Bulma a little tighter. 

Bulma smiled up at her, then she released a long sigh, “I better get some sleep. It’s been a long day. I think I’ll take a mental health day tomorrow.” The girls nodded in approval.

“That’s probably a good idea. You’ve been burning yourself out with school and the lab.” Chi Chi pulled Bulma up from the couch. When Bulma was walking away, she called, “and there will be cookies in the kitchen whenever you want any!” Bulma just smiled, grateful to have such amazing friends. 

Bulma entered her room and could hear the punching bag being hit in the apartment next door. Bulma rolled her eyes. _Is this guy serious?!_ She tried to ignore it and walked to her closet to get out of the workout clothes she still wore. She donned on her favorite negligee. It was light pink with a lacy, almost see-though bodice. She checked herself out in her full length mirror. _Fuck Vegeta, I’m a catch._ She smiled at her reflection and was beginning to feel a lot better. She flopped down on her bed and tried to get comfortable, but she couldn't really drown out the noise coming from next door. She tossed and turned for a bit. “Ugh!” She couldn't take it anymore. She got out of bed and banged on the wall, yelling, “would you stop beating on that thing already, you ass!” The pounding paused for a second, but then resumed, at an even quicker pace this time. Bulma heard him grumble “fucking annoying wench” on the other side of the wall. She was furious. She already had to deal with his conflicting behavior, she wasn't about to not get sleep because he was too busy taking out his feelings on his punching bag. Then an idea came to Bulma. _If he can be loud and annoying, so can I_. She grabbed the remote to her tv and put on _Grey’s Anatomy_ , turning the sound up so that he’d be able to hear it through the wall. The scene played out with lots of medical jargon and drama. After a few minutes the banging next door stopped and it became very quiet. Suddenly Bulma heard banging on the front door of their apartment and 18 yelling, then all of a sudden Vegeta barges into her room and slams the door shut behind him. He stalks over to the tv and aggressively shuts it off. 

“Hey!” Bulma screamed. “What the hell do you think you're doing!” She jumped out of bed and got in Vegeta’s face. “You don't get to just barge in here and touch my stuff! You have no right, you asshole!”

Vegeta stood before her with his hands fisted down as his sides. He was wearing the same thing he had left her parents’ house in. Bulma had to push back the memories of his hands on her and the feel of his weight above her. She looked up at his face and immediately noticed where his eyes were. He was staring at her negligee. Bulma had forgotten what she was wearing and went to try to cover up her chest, but Vegeta reached out and grabbed her arms before she could. Bulma met his eyes again. They stared at each other. And then Vegeta grabbed Bulma’s face in his hands and kissed her deeply. He nudged her toward the bed. But before they could fall over the edge, Bulma pulled away this time. She shoved him back and away from her. Vegeta raised his eyebrows at her. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” she screeched, throwing her hands up. “You get all handsy with me earlier and then you leave. Then you barge in here and try to push me on the bed? What the fuck do you want from me, Vegeta?!”

“I DON’T KNOW!” he shouted, throwing his own hands up. “You’re maddening, woman! You’re loud and annoying. All you do is complain at me. And you’re fucking everywhere! I can’t go or do anything without you being there. You’ve wormed your way into every corner of my life! And you come around and you wear crap like that and then I completely lose my mind. All I want to do is fuck you into that mattress right now and it’s fucking infuriating!” He had inched his was closer to Bulma the more he yelled. Bulma was taken aback by his words. She stared up at him. His face was hard. His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were dark with lust. Bulma felt the butterflies in her belly again. She looked at Vegeta’s lips and remembered how amazing they felt against hers. Vegeta looked into her big, blue eyes. They held so much innocence in them, but he knew better. She was a vixen, temping him at every moment. He stared down at what she was wearing again. The pink lace covering her breasts had one small flower barely hiding each of her rosy nipples. _God_. He wanted to just rip it off of her and descend on her. Suddenly he felt a sharp tingle emanating from his left check. His head was forced to the side and he was staring away from the woman. Then it dawned on him. _She just slapped me._ He turned back to Bulma and gaped at her. Her face was twisted in anger. 

“You fucking bastard!” she yelled, shocking Vegeta even more. “Wanting to fuck me is infuriating for you? Well fuck you, Vegeta. I’d be the best you’d ever have, but you’ll never know. Now get the hell out of my room!” 

Vegeta just stood there staring at Bulma. He was frozen in place. He didn't mean what he said how she took it. And he felt almost bad about it upsetting her. And then there was a knock on Bulma’s door and Chi Chi’s face peaked through. “B, you okay?” she asked. 18 could be heard in the background mumbling “… just drag his ass out…” 

Bulma just nodded her head, not turing away from Vegeta. “Yeah, I’m fine. Vegeta was just leaving.” She stared daggers at Vegeta as she spoke.

Vegeta’s face became hard then and he abruptly turned and marched out of the apartment. He stood in the hallway for a bit, taking in what had just transpired. He hit his fist against the wall, pissed at himself and the entire situation. _Damn that woman!_ He made his way to his own apartment and slammed the door. He went to the shower and turned it on to the hottest setting before stepping in. He needed to wash away the woman’s touch. Once he scrubbed his body raw, he got into bed. He stared up at his ceiling with the woman still on his mind. He let out a frustrated sigh. He was angry because he finally had to admit to himself that he was attracted to the woman. More so than he ever thought he would or could. _Damnit!_ He rolled over and turned off his bedside lamp. He started practicing some of his fighting moves in his head and before long he fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of the woman next door. 

* * *

Vegeta woke up in a sweat. He sat up in bed and put his head in his hands. “Damn that woman,” he grumbled. He was angry. That woman had invaded his dreams and Vegeta didn’t even have to look down to know that a certain appendage was also awake. His clenched his fists in his hands. Looking over at his dresser, he saw that it was only 6 in the morning. He didn't have to start his shift at the coffee shop until 8. He closed his eyes and somewhat hated himself for what he was about to do, but he couldn't help it. He laid back down in his bed and pulled down the elastic of his boxers until his dick sprang free. Vegeta moved his hand down and grabbed ahold of himself and began pumping slowly. His imagination took up where his dream ended…

_They were in Bulma’s bed and Vegeta was hovering over top of her. They were still fully clothed. His tongue was in her mouth, the sensation sending shivers down his spine. The sounds she was making made him grow harder. She pulled at his hair and he could feel her nails scratching at his scalp. He groaned into her mouth and bucked his hips. She whimpered in his ear, “Vegeta… please…” He couldn't take it any longer and moved to take off her shirt. She wasn't wearing a bra underneath and Vegeta immediately descended on her right nipple. Bulma let out a pleasured shout, “Oh God, Vegeta!” The way her lips caressed his name had him almost blowing his load before his pants were even off. As if she read his mind, her small hands made their way down his sides, tugging at the button on his jeans. He released her breast with a satisfying pop. He sat up and pulled his shirt over his head. Bulma leaned forward and undid his zipper, pushing his jeans down his hips and tugging his boxers down along with them. When they made it to his mid thigh she couldn't take it anymore and grabbed ahold of his dick. Her soft hands wrapped around him, Vegeta’s hips involuntarily jerked forward. That only made Bulma grin. She leaned forward and stuck out her tongue to lick up the drop of pre-cum from his tip. Vegeta closed his eyes at the feeling of her tongue on him. Before he knew it, Bulma pulled his entire length passed her sensual lips. “Damn, woman,” he groaned huskily. He could feel her smile around his cock. She began to bob her head and Vegeta grabbed the back of her head to help move her along his shaft. They both could feel him about lose himself, but Vegeta pulled Bulma’s face away from him before that could happen. He slipped off the bed to finish taking off his pants. He crawled back up and grabbed Bulma by the hips suddenly, making her squeal. They smiled at each other as Vegeta slid her underwear from under her skirt and down her legs. He flipped up her skirt. His mouth practically started watering when he saw the blue tuff of hair covering her nether region. He leant down to have a taste, but she stopped him. He looked at her quizzically. “You can do that another time. Right now, I need you inside me.” She spread he legs and Vegeta moved between them, loving how bossy she was. And he wasn't one to keep a woman waiting, so she quickly lined himself up with her entrance. He teased her clit with the head of his cock. “God dammit, Vegeta, stop teasing me and stick it in already- Oh God!” He slammed into her and let out a loud moan. He began a steady rhythm. “God you feel amazing,” he said. She smiled up at him. “Faster,” she commanded. He obliged and before long Bulma dug her nails into his biceps, screaming her release. A few more thrusts and Vegeta followed right after her._

Vegeta let out a load groan as his release took over him. His seed spilled over his hand and his body relaxed into the mattress. _God, that was intense_ , he thought. He looked down at the cum covering his hand and was a little disgusted with himself. “Damn that woman.” He got out of his bed and headed to his shower to wash off the remains of what he had just done. And possibly the shame along with it. 

–

Bulma woke up feeling very groggy and not at all like she just got the longest night’s sleep she’s had in weeks. She refused to go to any classes or even the lab today.She only had two classes today anyways and it’s not like she didn’t already know the material. She is a genius after all. She laid in bed for a bit, remembering what happened last night. She made out with Vegeta. Twice. And it could've gone a lot farther if she hadn't pushed him away. But he was such a douchebag. Bulma couldn’t stop being angry and hurt by his words. She hadn’t felt this way in a long time. Not even with Yamcha really. _Oh God_ , Bulma thought, covering her face with her hands. _I’m totally falling for that dick_. She threw her fists down to the bed. “Fuck this,” she said, hopping out of bed. She needed to get out of the apartment and find a way to get her mind off Vegeta. She was almost considering breaking her word and going to her lab, but he had tainted that place as well, which pissed her off even more. But there was one place she hadn’t been in awhile that could still bring her some peace, though. An old coffee shop just outside of town that she used to go to. A little place that not many people even heard of. Looking out her bedroom window she noticed that it was raining. _Perfect weather to go sit at a coffee shop and read,_ she thought. Her mind made up, she stalked to her closet. She pulled out her comfiest pair of fleece leggings and an old Capsule Co. sweatshirt that fell off one shoulder. She pulled on some fuzzy socks and then slipped into her rain boots. She picked up her beat-up copy of _The Bear_ by William Faulkner and her rain jacket, then made her way out the door. Not wanting to take her car, Bulma waited for the trolley to take her to the edge of town. 

Vegeta sat at the counter of Senzu Bean. It wasn't a very busy day, not unusual for midmorning ona Tuesday. He didn’t mind his job as a barista. The shop never got really busy like the other coffee shops around campus. It was a local business, so not many people made the trek to the outskirts of the city to come here. Right now, the place only contained three of Vegeta’s usual customers lounging and sipping on their various drinks. He remained on his stool and flipped through  a copy of _Ultimate MMA_ he had behind the counter. The magazine and his anticipation for the upcoming tournament was what was getting him through his shift. And keeping a certain bluenette off his mind, which for that he was thankful.

Outside, Bulma jumped down from the trolley and stepped onto the sidewalk in front of Senzu Bean. She opened the door and stepped inside out of the rain.

Vegeta flipped the page of his magazine before he heard the tiny bell above the door chime. Without looking up he said in his deep timbre, “Welcome to Senzu-” He stopped mid-greeting as he looked up to see the very woman he jerked off to this morning stopping halfway to the counter.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Bulma exclaimed. Some of the patrons in the shop gave her dirty looks. She ignored them and made her way to the counter anyways. “What are you doing here?”

Vegeta’s jaw was clenched. “Oh I don’t know, I just thought I’d sit behind the counter today and take people’s order. What does it look like, woman. I work here.”

“Since when?”

“The past four years.”

“I don’t remember ever seeing you working here before.”

“Still doesn’t mean I haven't been employed here.” Under his breath he added, “looks like my luck finally ran out on me, I guess.”

“What’s that suppose to mean?” Bulma questioned.

“I’ve been lucky enough over the years to never have to deal with your presence here before. Now my luck’s run out apparently.” As the words left his mouth, Vegeta did indeed recall a distinct memory of serving a young blue-haired beauty when he was first hired here, but he wasn't about to mention that now.

“God, you’re such a dick, you know that?” He was starting to really piss her off. “Fine. If you work here then you can make me a matcha latte.” She went to reach for her wallet so she didn't notice Vegeta taking in the outfit she wore. He forced himself to not get distracted by her clavicle  or the lacy strap of her bralette that was visible. He caught sight of the book that she had cradled under her arm. _The Bear_. _One of my favorites_ … The book looked old and tattered, like it had been read over and over again. He came back to reality when he saw the green bill the woman was waving in front of his face. “Hellllooo,” she called out to him. “Earth to dickhead.”

He snatched the bill from her hand and rang up her order. “Bitch,” he retorted. He handed her back her change, their fingers touching and that electric spark being felt by the both of them once again. 

“You know that’s not very good customer service, calling people ‘bitch’ when they're simply trying to order a beverage,” she said with a smile and light to her eye. 

“I only save that moniker for very _special_ customers,” Vegeta told her with a shit-eating grin. “Now go sit down and I’ll bring out your latte when it’s done.”

“You’re impossible!” Bulma turned on her heal and walked away from the counter. Vegeta watched her walk away and rather enjoyed the sway of her hips incased in those black leggings of hers. _Damn_. He shook his head and began making her drink.

Walking away, she was actually surprised at how normal their interaction had been, what with what happened last night. Bulma took a seat in an old-fashioned leather armchair in the little windowed alcove in corner. She got comfortable with one of the cozy blankets the coffee shop offered and opened up her book. _The Bear_ was one of her favorites and she hadn't read it in awhile. She got a few pages in when she felt a shadow come over her. She looked up from her book to notice Vegeta standing before her with a mug and saucer in his hands. He sat it down on the little side table next to her. As he turned to walk away, he stopped. “You’re a fan of Faulkner?” he asked her. 

She was surprised by his question. “Not really. I just really love _The Bear_. It’s been a favorite of mine since high school.”

“Me too.” _Man this woman was something else…_

“Really?” Bulma asked, surprised once again. 

He took a seat in the chair across from her. “Yeah. Read it in high school and loved it.”

They sat there awkwardly, trying to avoid eye contact but failing. Finally Vegeta got up saying, “I gotta go.”

Bulma bristle at the words. “As usual,” she mumble under her breath. That stopped him in his tracks. He turned to her, his face annoyed.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“That’s not the first time I’ve heard those words from you, Vegeta. Do you not remember that? Apparently, you're good at walking away. It’s what you do.”

“If I remember correctly, you're the one who shoved me away last night and told me to get the hell out of your apartment,” he said angrily. 

Bulma jumped up from her chair, her book falling out of her lap and onto the floor. “Yeah, because you just barged in, kissed me, then when I asked what we were doing, you said that you hated that you wanted to have sex with me!”

“I didn't say that! I said you were infuriating. Which you are! You're blowing this whole thing out of proportion. God damn, woman, I can’t fucking think right when you're around!”

“You know what Vegeta, go fuck yourself!” Bulma shouted in his face, pushing her way around him and out the door, leaving behind her forgotten latte. She ran out of the coffee shop and stomped out onto the wet sidewalk, furious that the giant monkey ruined yet another sacred place for her. 

Vegeta watched her mad dash down the sidewalk. He looked down and saw that her copy of _The Bear_ still laid forgotten on the floor. As she rounded the corner and out of his sight, he bent down and picked up the book. With it in hand, he walked back to his stool behind the counter and tossed the tattered book next to his magazine. He leaned his elbows on the counter and rubbed his temples. When he looked back up, the other customers were staring at him. “What are you looking at?” he said grumpily. They all turned their attention away from him, afraid of his tone. His head fell into his hands again. _God, what the hell has my life become?_ he angrily thought to himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last weekend I got a little thing called "engaged" and things got a little busy ;)
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> Really hope you all enjoyed the chapter!  
> Exciting things are coming for these two. And more characters will be introduce soon. So stay tuned!


	7. Seeing Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saturday is a lovely day for kicking balls and breaking hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an important chapter for story development. Krillin and Goku finally make an appearance, along with another special guest. 
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>  
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
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>  
> 
> Remember, I own nothing!

**Chapter 7: Seeing Red**

 

The week flew by rather quickly for Bulma. She didn’t even realize it was already Saturday. She was just going through the motions of waking up and heading out at this point. She was numb. All of the encounters with Vegeta had completely drained her. But she got up anyways and got into the shower. As she lathered herself up, realization dawned on her. _Crap. I have to see that brute again today for training._ Bulma wasn’t sure if their regular scheduled training session was even happening, but she got ready anyways and made her way to the gym. She wasn’t one to run away when things got hard. And she had signed up for these classes, so she was determined to follow through. 

When Bulma arrived at the gym - precisely on time - she saw Vegeta standing by the punching bags next to the sparring ring. _He looks pissed_ , Bulma thought. She couldn’t say she was surprised by his apparent mood. She was still angry with him. But she didn’t really have it in her right now to fight with him, so she told herself that she wouldn’t argue with him today. And she’d pretend that nothing happened between them this week. _Let’s get this over with._ She walked forward to meet up with Vegeta. 

“I’m surprised you actually showed. And on time, no less.” He said snarkily.

“Look, I don’t have it in me today to argue with you. Can we just get through this session with as minimal talking as possible?”

“Fine by me. Today is strength training. Here.” He threw a jump rope at her. Bulma barely caught it. 

“Hey! Warn me next time, wouldya.”

“Not my fault you can’t catch, woman. Now go jump some rope until I tell you to stop.”

Bulma was boiling mad. _Who the hell does he think he is?!_

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her. “You gonna stand there staring at me all day or are you gonna go jump some rope?” he snarled.

“Ugh!” Bulma stomped off to the corner and began to jump rope. She hadn't done it in years and it took her a bit to get the hang of it. Vegeta had to try not to smile at her awkwardness. He refused to find the woman endearing today.

Vegeta walked over to the other side of the gym to get a medicine ball where he was confronted by Tien Shinhan, a tall bald guy he knew from his Kinesiology classes. “Who’s the dime piece you have over there, Ouji? I remember you two together last week too.” He was glancing at Bulma salaciously.

Vegeta bristled. “She’s no one. Just someone I’m training for my practicum.”

“Just training huh,” he said with a smirk. Vegeta wanted to punch him in the face. “That mean you won’t mind if I put the moves on her?” Vegeta spun around and grabbed Tien by the front of his shirt. Tien put his arms up in surrender. “Hey man, we’re cool. She’s all yours.”

“Who’s all his?” a feminine voice called from beside the two men. They both turned their heads to see Bulma standing there with the jump rope in hand. She wore a confused look that seemed to slowly be growing more into one of anger. She turned a cold glare Vegeta’s way. “Were you referring to me?”

Vegeta dropped his hand from Tien’s shirt. “Forget it, woman.”

Bulma was beyond furious now. “Like yell! I’m not your property or a prize for you two dickweeds to fight over!”

“Whoa-ho. You gotta feisty one there, Ouji. I’m surprised you can handle her, with your temper,” Tien snickered. His snickering was cut short though when Bulma brought up her leg and kneed him in the balls. He doubled over in pain. “Fucking bitch!” Bulma was about to go after him some more, but Vegeta grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away.

“Get your hands off me!” She yelled. She maneuvered her way out of Vegeta’s arms. He held up his hands in his own surrender.

“Woman, calm down.”

“You really think telling me to calm down right now is going to get me to fucking calm down?! Fuck you, you jackass! I’m out of here.” She turned to get her bag, but Vegeta jumped in front of her. “Get out of my way!”

“No,” he said defiantly, his arms crossed.

“Excuse me?”

“No. We have training to do. Now get your damn panties out of a wad and go keep jumping rope, because, if I remember correctly, I never told you you could stop.”

“Who the hell do you think you are, huh,” Bulma said in a calm voice, her own arms crossed now. “You think you're intimidating? You think you're bad? You’re just a short, little man who fights away your feelings because you’re too fucking afraid to feel anything. And for that, I pity you.”

Vegeta got up in Bulma’s face. “Listen here, _woman_ ,” he said threateningly. “You don’t pretend to know me. You stand up there on your little pedestal that your daddy bought you and think everyone is inferior to you. But get this through your incredibly thick skull; you know _nothing_ about me. So don't pretend you do. You got that?” he growled. Before he could even comprehend what happened, Vegeta was on the floor clutching his own jewels.

Bulma lent over Vegeta’s crouched form. “You ever threaten me again, you'll really get to see what my daddy’s money can buy.” And with that she grabbed her gym bag and headed for the exit. But before she walked through the doors, she turned to address the entire gym, “And if any of you breathe a word of what just happened here to any press, you’ll be served with a lawsuit so quick you're grandkids will have whiplash.” Then she turned and walk out, leaving the men in the gym awed and dumbfounded. Even Vegeta couldn't help but think, _damn that was hot._

* * *

Bulma returned to her apartment hours later after having spent the day at her parents’ working in her lab. She opened the door to find 18 and Chi Chi doing each others make up, dressed to go out. 

“Hey B!” Chi Chi called. It seemed like she’s been pre-gaming quite a bit.

“Hey Cheech. What’re you guys doing,” Bulma questioned, as 18 began putting a gold eyeshadow onto Chi Chi’s eyelid.

“We’re going out,” 18 answered. “Go get dressed. You're coming too.”

“I am?”

“Yes, you are,” 18 said matter-of-factly. “It’s been a rough week and we all just need to relax and have some fun.”

“Oh! B!” Chi Chi screamed, not paying much attention to what 18 had been saying. “How did training go with Vegeta this morning?”

“Not great…”

“Oh? What happened?” Chi Chi asked, disappointment in her voice.

“He pissed me off so I kneed him in the dick.”

“Ha! Are you serious?” 18 asked.

“Yup. Then I left. Been in the lab all day.”

“Yeah, I can tell.” 18 frowned at Bulma’s appearance. “Hurry up and take a shower. And put on that red body con dress. You look hot in it.”

“That’s so true!” Chi Chi agreed.

“Okay, okay. I’m going.” Bulma dropped her bags by the kitchen island and headed to take a shower.

After getting out of the shower, she made her way to her bedroom. She slipped on a lacy black thong and dawned on the aforementioned red dress, no bra. She checked out her reflection in the mirror. She decided to go light on the makeup tonight, but put on red lipstick to match her dress. She left her hair down, letting the soft curls brush against her bare shoulders.

“You look great!” Chi Chi said as Bulma walked out into the living room.

“No, you look hot,” 18 corrected. “Now lets get going, the guys said they'll met us there.” 

“The guys?” Bulma asked.

“Yeah! Goku and Krillin are coming!” Chi Chi exclaimed.

“And your boy Raditz is gonna be there too,” 18 added.

“Wow, I haven't seen Radz in forever. Now I’m really ready. Let’s go!”

–

Vegeta was sound asleep. With all that had happened today, he thought he deserved a decent nap - something he rarely ever did. But his slumber was ruined when he heard someone banging on his front door. He grumbled into his pillow, “GO AWAY!,” hoping the stranger at the door would be able to hear him and leave. To Vegeta’s disappointment, the banging continued. Vegeta groaned, flipping off his covers and getting out of bed to answer the door. “Whoever you are you better have a damn good reason to be banging on my door-” Vegeta swung open the door to reveal a very tall and muscular man with a mullet. “Raditz? What the fuck are you doing here?” Vegeta said, annoyed. He hadn't seen Raditz in months and he couldn't say he was upset by that fact. 

“Nice to see you too, Princey-boy! How the hell have you been,” the tall man bellowed, clamping a hand down on Vegeta’s shoulder and pushing past him into his apartment. 

“I never invited you in, Raditz. Now what the hell do you want?” Vegeta became even angrier as he watched Raditz flop down on his couch and put his feet up on the coffee table.

“I can’t stop in and say hello to an old friend?”

“We’re not friends.”

“Oh Princey, you wound me,” Raditz said in mock dismay. He even pretended to wipe away a tear. “Anyways,” he continued, letting go of the sad facade, “I was invited to join some people at a club tonight and came over to drag you along.”

“No. Now get out.”

“Ah! I knew you’d say that. But I’m not taking no for an answer. You’re going, even if I have to drag you out kicking and screaming.”

“Challenge accepted.”

“Oh don’t be like that, Vegeta. Come on. All you do is work, school, and train. Let loose a little! Down a few shots. Bang a few broads. Then you can go back to being uptight tomorrow.”

Vegeta screwed up his face in disgust at Raditz’s words. “If I go, I will definitely not be doing any of those things.”

“Ah, but you're considering goin’?!”

Vegeta wanted to punch himself for that little slip up in his phrasing. _God, Raditz is annoying_. “Will it get you to shut up and leave me alone? Even if I go and just sit at the bar, scowling at all the other idiots?”

“You bet it would! No get dressed and let’s go. I’m sure everyone else is already there!” Raditz said enthusiastically, shoving Vegeta toward his closet to get changed. Vegeta was instantly regretting his decision.

And if he wasn't regretting it before, he definitely was when they walked up to the club entrance. The line was long and wrapped around the building, but instead of joining the end of the line, Vegeta followed Raditz straight to the bouncer at the front. “Son party,” Raditz told the burly man. The bouncer opened the door to the club and let them through. Inside Vegeta was met by a throng of people that he could barely move through. He kept his arms crossed and fought his best to not touch anyone he passed by as he followed Raditz through the massive crowd. Vegeta noticed that there were two floors to this club and he could also see a pool outside. The bottom floor was two different heights, with the dance floor being down a few sets of steps and the upper floor holding the bar and branching off to other dance floors. Vegeta kept following the man in front of him until they reached a somewhat secluded alcove off the side of the big room. There was a big semi-circle, velvet couch set behind the roped off area that Raditz led them to. Vegeta took in the faces of the people sitting on the couch, all of which he knew. There was Kakarot - or Goku, which he went by for some idiotic reason. Vegeta figured he would be here considering Raditz was his brother. Beside Goku was his girlfriend, Chi Chi, who he knew to be roommates with the wench next door. Next to Chi Chi was her other roommate, 18, who was practically sitting in the lap of the short, bald guy named Krillin from Vegeta’s Injury Awareness class. As Vegeta looked over the people sitting on the couch, Raditz threw up his hands and gave an over-exaggerated greeting, “Hey everybody! The life of the party has arrived!” His announcement was met by eyeballs from the girls and high fives from Goku and Krillin.

“Hey bro!” Goku exclaimed, his eyes catching a glimpse of Vegeta standing stoically behind his big brother. “WOW! You actually got Vegeta out of his apartment!” At the mention of his name, the other partygoers turned to stare at him. Vegeta wasn't fond of all the attention. Even less so when Raditz turned around and threw his arm over Vegeta’s shoulders. 

“I know, right! I had to drag him out by that pointy hair of his,” he shouted, ruffling Vegeta’s locks. Vegeta pushed him away.

“Keep your hands off or I’ll pummel you,” he threatened. Raditz only laughed and threw a light punch to his shoulder.

“Relax dude!” Goku and Krillin joined in, telling Vegeta to ‘just chill.’

“That’s it. I’m leaving!” Vegeta announced, already tired of everyone’s shit.

“But you just got here,” Goku replied.

But Vegeta didn’t care. He turned around to leave, but as he did so, he bumped into something small and soft. It was a woman. He placed his hands on her hips to balance her. “Sorry,” he apologized automatically, albeit still gruffly. And then he looked down at the frail thing in front of him, his coal black eyes meeting clear, ice blue. _Bulma_ …

Bulma was taken aback by the endless dark eyes of the man in front of her. Never in a million years would she have thought she’d run into Vegeta here, of all places. But she should have known better, considering she’d been seeing him everywhere lately. She felt the butterflies in her belly again at the feel of his strong hands gripping her sides. They were so close, their chests were touching. Both of their breathing was ragged, as if they just ran from somewhere. Whatever spell they were under was broken by Raditz waving his hand in front of their faces. Vegeta immediately dropped his hands from Bulma’s hips. Her skin felt burned from his touch. Bulma looked toward her friends on the couch and found the knowing looks of 18 and Chi Chi smiling back at her. Her face turned red and she had to look away from them. So she looked up at the tall man next to her and gave a sultry smile. “Hey Raditz. How’s it hanging?”

“Oh you know,” he said with a wink. He then bent down to whisper in her ear, “Like a horse.” Bulma just giggled at his response. Flirting was her and Raditz’s thing. It never went anything further than that, but they both enjoyed it nonetheless. Vegeta, however, did not know this little fact, having overheard their conversation - since Raditz can’t whisper to save his life - and he bristled at his comment. Unbeknownst to either Vegeta or Bulma, the entire gang saw Vegeta’s reaction. 18 nudged Chi Chi and gave her an evil grin. Chi Chi just shook her head at 18’s antics.

“You know, Bulma,” 18 said in a too chipper voice. “You and Raditz can always request a private room. They're actually quite nice.” She gave a salacious look to Krillin, who had the gall to blush at his girlfriends not so subtle hint. 

“Not a bad idea,” Raditz said, snaking his arm around Bulma’s waist. “What do you say, B?”

Bulma just smiled, placing her hand on Raditz’s chest. “Oh come now, Radz. You know you couldn't handle me,” Bulma said seductively.

Throughout their whole display, 18 kept her eyes on Vegeta. She noticed his hands clenched at his sides. His jaw was set and he had a murderous look in his eye. This only made her evil plan come together more.

“Maybe Vegeta could.” Everyone turned to look at 18 and the murderous glint to Vegeta’s eyes only intensified. “What?” she asked innocently.

Not liking the sudden tension in the air, Chi Chi jumped up from the couch and grabbed 18 and Bulma’s arms. “Let’s dance!” she shouted, pulling them toward the giant crowd. Before long they were lost amongst the sea of people. They could still see the boys at their table and the boys could still see them. The girls began jumping around to the music, but Bulma wasn't about to let 18 slide. “What the hell was that?” she yelled over the music.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” 18 shouted back.

“Bitch, don’t even. You know what I mean.”

“Well, you two obviously won’t admit that you’re into each other, so it’s not my fault I have to resort to dirty tactics to force you together.”

“We aren’t gonna sleep together, 18! When will you get that through your thick skull?!” Bulma was agitated.

“Come on, Bulma! Just look at him watching you right now. He can’t keep his eyes off you. You’re hot and he wants you!”

Bulma turned to look back at the guys. She noticed Goku ogling Chi Chi as she moved and Krillin staring lovingly at 18. Raditz was watching her and when he caught her eye, he winked. She ignored him and looked at the man on the other side of the couch. Vegeta was wearing a black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up his veiny arms. He sat straight with his knees spread in a domineering stature, the dark denim of his jeans stretching over his thighs almost obscenely. His arms were crossed over his chest and, if she didn't know any better, he appeared to want to be anywhere else but here - which also could've been true. But Bulma knew Vegeta. She knew that that look in his eye was predatory. He was devouring her with his eyes. She stared at him as she moved her body to the music. She took in how his jaw tensed as she wiggled her hips sensually. _No way…_

“Whatever,” Bulma said, having to look away from Vegeta. “He’s probably just staring at me, plotting how he’s gonna get back at me for what happened during our work out today.” Bulma tried to reason.

This time it was Chi Chi to scoff. “Psch, yeah right. He’s totally eye-fucking you!”

Bulma looked at her dumbfounded. “How many drinks have you had?”

“Just enough to feel amazing!” she said, throwing her hands up in the air. This made both Bulma and 18 laugh.

“I think I need to get at that level. I’m gonna head to the bar,” Bulma yelled, moving her way through the crowd. As she moved, she glanced to their table again and noticed that Vegeta was missing. _Party pooper must’ve left already_ , she thought. When she finally made it to the bar, she took a seat on one of the stools and waved the bartender over. Before she could tell the woman her order, a deep voice came from beside her, “She’ll have a lemon drop.” She didn't have to turn to know who the voice belonged to. She already knew. She’d know that husky tone anywhere. As she turned to her left, and her eyes landed on Vegeta, she couldn't help the butterflies that immediately began humming in her lower belly. _God, why did he seem so much sexier tonight?_ she asked herself. She watched him take the seat next to her with his whiskey in hand. He avoided her eyes and played with the lip of his glass. Bulma couldn't help think about him doing that to a pair of her lips.

“How’d you know I’d want a lemon drop?” she asked him, if only as an attempt to get her mind out of the gutter.

Vegeta just shrugged. “You seem the type.”

“What’s that mean?” She asked, annoyed. Before he could answer, the bartender returned with Bulma’s drink. She took a tentative sip and let the tangy liquid slip down her throat. She caught Vegeta watching her from the corner of her eye. She just raised an eyebrow at him.

“Lemon drop suits you. It’s sophisticated while still being strong.” Bulma noticed his cheeks turn pink before he turned his head away from her.She was taken aback. She never expected to receive a compliment from Vegeta of all people. Not knowing what to say, she just took another sip of her drink.

Vegeta was appalled at himself. _What the fuck was that?! Why did I say that?_ Vegeta downed his glass of whiskey and let it burn his throat. He rarely drank and he was starting to notice that his inhibitions were lowered. He didn’t like it. He hated not having control, especially over himself. And this woman. She practically obliterated any ounce of self control he’s had over the past two weeks. She was poison. He needed to get out of here. Away from the succubus before he spouted any more nonsense. As he moved to get up though, she spoke.

“Thank you.”

He was surprised. “For what?” he asked, refusing to look her way.

She smiled at him cheekily. “The drink. And the compliment you gave along with it.”

Vegeta clenched his jaw. “It wasn't a compliment, woman.”

“Oh? What was it then?” Vegeta noticed her voice take on a sultry tone. He hadn't realized that she had already downed her drink. And with the few shots she’d had before he arrived, she was now rather drunk.

He turned to look at her then, taking in her appearance. She was leaning toward him with her legs crossed. He short red dress road even higher up her thighs now that she was sitting down. The straight neckline of the dress made her breasts seem even fuller than they were normally. So much of her milky skin was exposed; he just wanted to run his hands all over her body and listen to the sounds it’d illicit. When he had a view of her dancing earlier, he wanted so badly to just grab her and fuck her against the wall, right in the crowded club. Suddenly, he felt Bulma’s hand on his thigh, breaking him away from his thoughts. He looked up at her face finally.

“How ‘bout we get out of here and finally fuck?”

 – 

Raditz brought the bottle of vodka up to his lips. He should've known better than to go out with people are were attached. Goku and Chi Chi left a bit ago to do God knows what, so he was stuck here on the couch next to the blonde and baldy sucking face. And he had no idea where Bulma went. He needed to find a lady friend before he started his own little pity party. He looked around the crowd, looking for a chick that’d catch his eye. But what he found was even more interesting. His eyes landed on the sexy blue-haired, bombshell. _Damn, she's fine,_ he thought. But then he saw her hand on the thigh of the man sitting next to her. And low and behold, that thigh belonged to none other than Vegeta Ouji. “Oh, I can have some fun with this,” he said to himself. There was nothing Raditz loved more - well besides getting laid - than to rile Vegeta up. So he took another swig off the bottle in his hand and made his way over to the bar. Raditz wasn't dense. He knew the moment he saw Vegeta and Bulma together that there was a lot of unsolved sexual tension between them. As he approached the two, he overheard what Bulma asked him. He couldn't hold in the laugh at Vegeta’s shocked face at her words. His snortle made them turn his way. 

“Well, look who we have here. I’ve been looking for you guys everywhere!” Raditz boasted. He clamped his hand down on Vegeta’s shoulder. He was surprised that Vegeta didn't shove him of like usual. He turned to Bulma and the look on her face was one of pure fury. “What’s wrong, B? Princey here not showing you a good time?”

Bulma’s expression suddenly turned into one of confusion. “Princey?”

Raditz laughed. “What? He never tell you the story?”

“Raditz,” Vegeta said his name threateningly.

He ignored him. “So me and Vegeta here, we grew up together. Me and Goku trained at his godfather’s gym. Believe it or not, Vegeta wasn't as nice as he is now.” Bulma made a disbelieving sound. “I know, I know. Hard to believe, but it’s true. He thought he ran that gym. And given his royal status-“

“That’s enough,” Vegeta growled gruffly.

Bulma was even more confused. “Royal status?”

Vegeta gave her to most severe look she’s ever seen from him, and that was staying a lot. “Woman. Don’t.” Bulma kept her mouth shut. But the butterflies in her belly were making her feel all sorts of ways. _Damn, why do I find that so hot._ Raditz caught the look on Bulma’s face and immediately knew what was on her mind. His face split into a huge grin.

“Wait a second,” he said. Bulma moved her gaze from Vegeta to Raditz. “Are you two…”

“No,” Vegeta stated matter-of-factly, making Bulma’s face turn red.

Raditz looked down at her and saw the disappointed look in her eye. It made his heart ache a little. “Hey, you wanna get out of here?” he asked Bulma. She looked up at him and saw the knowing look on his face. She plastered a faux sexy smile on her own face.

“Yeah. Let’s go,” she answered in a soft voice. She got up from her stool and Raditz put his arm around her.

“Let’s go somewhere private, baby,” he tried to whisper in her ear.

Before he could turn, Raditz felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up just in time to see Vegeta bring his arm back and punch him square in the face. Raditz stumbled backwards, letting go of Bulma in the process.

“Hey man,” he said to Vegeta. “I’m not gonna get into this with you.”

Vegeta didn't care. He swung again, but this time Raditz dodged him. “What’s wrong, Princey? Mad that I’ve got more balls than you? Can’t even go after the one thing you want."

Raditz’s words pissed Vegeta off even more. This time he swung lower, hitting him in the ribs. Raditz was unfazed. He brought his own arm back and hit Vegeta in the cheek.

“What the hell is going on?!” 18 yelled, coming up beside Bulma with Krillin in tow. Chi Chi and Goku following right behind.

“Oh my goodness,” Chi Chi called out behind the hand covering her mouth in shock.

Goku and Krillin looked at each other and went to go separate the two. Goku went up behind Vegeta and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Calm down, Vegeta.” Krillin was blocking him from getting at Raditz. Vegeta aggressively shrugged off Goku. He caught a glimpse of red and looked up to see the distressed look of Bulma. He stared at her and she stared back. His breathing was ragged. Even with all that had just happened, he still wanted her. Raditz’s words echoed in his head. Because they were true. _God, I’m such a pussy_. Before Vegeta could think on it any further, two bouncers were on their way over. They didn't even have to say anything, the group already knew they were being kicked out. They all filed out of the club and stood in the parking lot. Vegeta didn't stop with the group though. He just kept walking away. 

“What was that all about?” Krillin asked, confused.

“Hey Vegeta! Where you goin’, man?” Goku yelled after him.

“Leave me the fuck alone, all of you.” He didn't even turn around, just kept walking.

Bulma stood their watching him walk away. “Vegeta!” she called out. He actually stopped at the sound of her voice. She jogged up to him. “Vegeta…” He turned toward her. Bulma stood right in front of him. She looked at his face and saw that his cheek was already starting to bruise. She brought her fingers up to touch it, but he grabbed ahold of her wrist.

“Don’t. Don’t pretend like you care,” he mumbled.

“Believe it or not, I actually do care about you, Vegeta. As much as I hate to admit it. But you're too hardheaded to accept it. Or your own feelings you have for me.”

He looked up at her then. “You’re wrong. I feel nothing.” He dropped her arm.

“I don’t believe that. Not for one second.”

“Then you're a fool.”

“Why’d you punch Raditz then, huh? Or even that asshat at the gym?” she asked, irritated. “It wasn’t because you were jealous?”

“I’ll say again what I said this morning. Because apparently you didn't get it.” He stepped closer to her. “You don't know me, so don't pretend that you do.” He turned away from her and continued walking down the street. Bulma just stood there, tears in her eyes. Vegeta knew she was crying, but he didn't turn back. He hated himself for hurting her like that. But he refused to let her get close to him. He couldn't afford to lose anyone else he loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be prepared for things to get steamy next chapter! And who knows what we'll find out about Vegeta's past...
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> Also the club they go to is based off of Club La Vela in Florida.


	8. Insult to Injury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vegeta seeks advice from an old family friend and is given a present by a man with green hair.  
> Bulma discovers what happens when an insult goes too far...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **smut warning** Enjoy ;p
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>  
> 
>  
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> Remember, I own nothing but my beautiful words.

**Chapter 8: Insult to Injury**

 

Vegeta woke up on Monday, trying desperately to forget what had happened Saturday. He couldn’t believe he’d lost it like that. He thought of the look on Bulma’s face as Raditz taunted him. She looked so concerned. Her eyes had been so big and glassy. “Dammit!” Vegeta suddenly yelled, punching the weighted bag in front of him so hard it swung dangerously, almost teetering off its hook. Vegeta was breathing heavy, his bare chest rising and falling at an incredible pace. He was seeing red. He closed his eyes, but he still couldn’t get the image of the blue haired temptress out of his mind. The way she stared at him in the parking lot. Her eyes rimmed with unshed tears. He could almost see her heart breaking before him at his words. Vegeta shook out his arms and got into his fighting stance. _It had to be done. For her own protection. I can’t bring her into all my shit. She’d only get hurt worse_ , he thought to himself as he began hitting the punching bag again. It was only 8am and he had more than ten hours before he’d have to make his way to Capsule Co. and face his neighbor again. He has no idea if he’ll even be allowed in the building honestly. _I’m probably fired_ , he speculated. He couldn't blame Bulma if that were the case. It’d almost be a relief in a way, not to have to see her. Not to have to look at her in her lab coat and goggles. To not have to endure all the dirty images that’d come to Vegeta’s mind of what he could do to her in that lab coat. Or how he’d just love to pick her up and have his way with her at one of her work stations. Vegeta hits the punching bag harshly again, making it sway aggressively. _Even when I’m trying not to think about fucking her, I can’t help but think about fucking her! God dammit!_ This time Vegeta’s punch sent the bag flying off the ceiling hook. It landed with a hard thud on the floor of his room. He stared at it, his chest rising and falling in short, hurried breathes. He was glistening with sweat. And he just stood there staring at the punching bag on the ground. For one second, he thought of what it would be like to be with Bulma. How their lives would be together. But he forced that thought out of his mind. It was a pipe dream. No matter how much chemistry there seemed to be between him and the blue-nette, he could never let anything come of it. _It’d only get her killed_ , he thought.

* * *

Vegeta pulled the hood of his sweatshirt further over his head as he walked down the street, keeping his head down. He moved through the crowds of people on the sidewalk briskly. He could see his destination just up ahead, but as he looked up, a flash of blue caught his eye. His heart was beating in his chest and he faltered in his step. As he looked ahead, the blue he had seen was just someone wearing a hat. He schooled his face in his usual frown and kept on walking. _God I’m pathetic. I can’t even walk down the street without thinking about that woman._ He finally made it to his desired location and gruffly pushed the door open. He stepped insidethe tall brick building and his ears perked up at the sound of dumbbells and punching bags being hit. He was home.

“‘Geta!” a very tall, bald man standing by the sparring ring shouted. Vegeta made his way over. “It’s damn good to see ya! How long’s it been?”

“Calm down old man, I was here two weeks ago,” Vegeta grumbled.

The man clamped his beefy hand on Vegeta’s shoulder, letting out a hearty laugh. “Ha! Has it really been that long?! Well, what the hell brings you here today?”

Vegeta became a little uncomfortable at that question. He didn’t want to come here in the first place, but he knew he had to. Nappa was the only one he could go to for the questions he had. Vegeta cleated his throat. “I need to discuss some things with you.” Nappa looked at Vegeta and his face immediately lost its cheery expression. He gave a nod and began walking toward the back of the building. He opened a door that led to a decent sized office. He sat behind the old desk, Vegeta taking the creaky chair before it.

“What happened?” Nappa asked without preamble.

Vegeta turned his head away. “Nothing,” he turned back to meet Nappa’s eyes dead on. “Yet.”

“Don’t be cryptic, Ouji. What the hell’s going on?”

Vegeta took a deep breath. “There’s this woman...”

A huge grin spread across Nappa’s face, but then it faltered at Vegeta’s serious expression. “Oh...” he paused. “Have you-“

“No. I won’t let it go that far.” Vegeta turned his face away from the man in front of him, but Nappa still caught the guilty look in his eyes.

“But you want to.” It wasn’t a question. Vegeta gave him a dirty look. Nappa sighed. “We could always-“

“No,” Vegeta said firmly.

“Vegeta-“

“I said no,” Vegeta growled. “I won’t let you sell this place. It’s your life.”

“Piss off, you little punk. What about your life?! You haven’t been living. Not since Senior and Kumiko died.”

Vegeta scoffed. “Died. You mean murdered. Or have you forgotten that I just came out of hiding a few years ago?”

“Yeah, back when I thought that’d help you get your life back. But now it’s even worse for you. If I’d had known things would turn out this way, I would’ve never let yo-“

“Oh please, like you ever _let_ me do anything. It was my choice. I wanted to go to college and have my own name back. We both knew what was going to come of it.”

Nappa put his elbows on the desk in front of him. His face was somber. “Vegeta… this girl-“

“Woman,” Vegeta corrected, almost appalled at himself for doing so.

Nappa stares at him. “You really have feelings for this _woman_.” Vegeta turned his gaze toward the wall again. Nappa continued, “You can’t just-“

“No,” Vegeta interrupted again. He turned his eyes to Nappa, glaring at the bald man. “She’s Bulma Briefs.”

Nappa’s eyes grew wide. Unlike Vegeta, he knew that name. “As in Capsule Corp. heiress?” Vegeta gave a curt nod. “Fuck ‘Geta, how the held did you land that?!”

Vegeta screwed up his face. “I didn’t land anything. She’s my neighbor. We’ve hated each other for years. But then I started training her and now I’m her intern-“

“Intern,” Nappa said with a chuckle. “Now that’s some prime spank bank material.”

“Shut it, you creepy fuck.” Vegeta’s cheeks were tinged slightly pink.

The look on Nappa’s face then turned to one of concern. Suddenly a knock came at the door of his office. “Yes!” he boomed to the person on the other side. A small, skinny kid opened the door. “What is it Cabba?”

The boy handed Nappa a manila envelope. “Some tall, buff guy with green hair just came in and said this was for The Prince.”

Vegeta and Nappa immediately locked eyes. “Thank you, Cabba. You can go now,” Nappa said. The boy nodded and shut the door behind him.

“How the fuck did they know I was here?” Vegeta exclaimed.

“They must’ve had you followed. Who knows how long they’ve been tailing you.” Nappa laid the envelope flat on his desk. He opened the tab and dumped the contents out in front of him. Out spilled dozens of photographs. They were all of a blue haired young woman, some of her smiling and laughing with friends. “Fuck,” Vegeta said softly as he looked at the photos of Bulma and caught one of her asleep in her bed. Nappa picked up one, turning it toward Vegeta. “What’s this?” he asked.

Vegeta fell back in his chair. It was a clear picture of him and Bulma standing in the parking lot of the club on Saturday. Looking at it made his heart ache. “It’s nothing,” he responded.

“Doesn’t seem like nothing. This photo is timestamped as the earliest in the pile.” He picked up another one and turned it around. “I’m guessing this is one of you walking here.”

Vegeta looked at the picture before him and stared at the look on his face. Because he could remember the exact second that photo was taken. _The blue hat…_ “Dammit!” Vegeta shouted, standing up from his chair so quick it fell to the floor with a clatter.

Nappa got up from behind the desk. “What?”

“They know,” is all Vegeta said.

“They know what?”

Vegeta punched the wall before him. He hung his head as he whispered, “that I love her.”

Nappa was taken aback. Not by the fact that Vegeta loved this woman, but by the mere admission itself. _It’s not like Vegeta to admit something like that._ That fact warmed his heart and almost brought a smile to his face. But he could see how much this tormented the young man in front of him. He placed a hand on Vegeta’s shoulder. “We’ll figure this out.”

“How the fuck do you plan to do that,” Vegeta barked, turning to face his surrogate father. “I won’t let you sell this place, Nappa, so don’t even think about it.” The fire had died out of Vegeta just then and he leaned down to pick up his knocked over chair. Nappa made his way back around the desk. He looked down at the pile of photos. Just then he noticed the corner of what looked like a piece of paper hidden under the bunch. He grabbed it, unfolding it quickly. Vegeta looked up at him. “What’s it say?” he asked, his voice almost shaky.

Nappa’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He turned the thick paper around for Vegeta to see. Vegeta thought his heart might’ve stopped. It was the flyer to the West City Amateur Tournaments. In the corner of the page, written in a neat black scrawl he knew well, read the words, _See you there._

“Fuck,” Vegeta uttered.

“What?” Nappa asked, sitting down in his chair finally.

“That’s the tournament I signed up for. And if Zarbon thought it okay to deliver this here himself, I can only imagine what’s in store for me when the fights actually start. You know how their gym is,” Vegeta finished.

Nappa did know. They’d had an ongoing rivalry with the Cold Gym for years. Of course he knew why. A boxing studio funded by one of the strongest Mafia families in the world doesn’t always play by normal rules. And he knew the kind of fighters that gym bred, especially if Zarbon was any indication. But Nappa was determined. He already lost his best friends, he wasn't about to let their son meet their same fate. And this was a direct threat. “Well, we’ll just have you ready then. I’ll be helping you train from now on.”

Vegeta looked up at the determined looked on Nappa’s face. “Okay,” he agreed, because there was no arguing with him when he was like this. “But I’m not going to stand by idly ,” he said, his own determination coming through in his eyes.

“What are you talking about Ouji?” Nappa asked, worried.

Vegeta stood up abruptly. “I’m not gonna just sit hear and be threatened.” He walked to the door. His hand on the doorknob, he turned and said, “And I won't let them threaten what’s mine either.”

Nappa looked down at the photos of the blue-nette splayed out on his desk and knew what Vegeta meant. “Fine,” he said, “but you aren’t going there alone. And not today when you’re all riled up. We have to be strategic about this, Vegeta.”

Vegeta took his seat again. “What do you propose we do?”

* * *

Bulma sat at her work station in her lab at Capsule Co. completely engrossed in the task at hand. She had music blaring through the computer speakers drowning out any thoughts besides the noise and soldering iron in her grasp. Suddenly her music cut out and the voice of Barb, the receptionist, came through. “Miss Briefs, Mr. Ouji is here for his internship.”

A cold chill ran down Bulma’s spine. She had hoped he wouldn't show his face today. Or any day for that matter. She had already decided that she wouldn't be going to any more of their training sessions. But it seemed the giant ape was determined to keep ruining everything. And it’d raise a red flag with her parents if she told Barb to send him away and explaining everything to her parents wasn't something she wanted to deal with right now. She let out and sigh. “Go ahead and send him down, Barb.”

A few minutes later the intercom buzzer to the lab rang out. Bulma wheeled her chair over to the desk and pressed a button to open the lab doors. In walked Barbara with a sullen looking Vegeta in tow. “Hello, Bulma dear.” Bulma looked up at her from the bottom floor. “Hey Barb, thanks for bringing him down.”

“No problem dear, you two don't work too hard now.” And with that, she left Vegeta standing near the railing and made her way back up front. Vegeta was avoiding her gaze. _The ass has the nerve to act guilty._ She didn't have the patience for this. “There’s a bunch of equipment I need moved out of the storage unit down here. You can start moving them to the one upstairs on your left.” That was all she said before going back to her work. She didn't see him move, but she heard to big doors to the storage closet open.

“What needs moved?” came his gruff voice.

“Everything. I need that entire room cleared so my new chamber can be put in there.”

“Alright,” was all he said before she saw him carrying two big boxes at once up the stairs to the other storage unit. 

It was hard for Bulma to look at him. Every time she did, her heart ached, and the words he told her Saturday night would ring in her ears. _‘I feel nothing.’_ But she couldn't help but take peaks every now and again. He looked… different today. He was quiet. His appearance was just as well kept as the last time he was here. He had on a pair of jeans that showed off his toned ass and muscular thighs. His university t-shirt clung to his form, the back of it drenching with his sweat. Bulma’s brain picked that moment to remember the seductive way Vegeta smelled when he worked out. He was making his way down the stairs just then, arms free of anything. He caught her staring at him. He stopped on the stairs and looked back. They stayed like that for a bit beforeBulma gave him a dirty look and went back to the project before her. Then next time she looked up, she could see him carrying an engine part. She watched as his arm muscles rippled from the strain of carrying such a large object. She had to avert her eyes. _God, what is wrong with me! He rejected me and still I sit here drooling over him._ A shadow covering her work station brought her back to reality. She looked up to see the man that had been plaguing her thoughts and dreams.

“I’m done.”

“What?”

“I said I am finished,” he said slowly as if she was slow.

She looked over at the clock on one of the computers. He had only been working for a little less than an hour. _No way he finished moving everything already._ She got up and made her way over to the storage room doors. She looked inside and the room was completely empty when before there had been boxes upon boxes in there. “Wow, you sure work fast,” she said, moving to close the doors before her. She turned to walk back to her station and was surprised by the closeness of Vegeta. It startled her. Enough for her to pull back her arm and punch him square in the jaw, the impact of the punch sending Vegeta’s face to turn away from Bulma. He didn't even react as if in pain. He just stood there facing away from the woman in front of him. Bulma didn't say a word. Slowly, Vegeta turned his face toward her, his eyes looking down at her hand. She followed his gaze. He reached for her hand, but she pulled away from him.

“Don’t touch me, you bastard!” she yelled, her bottled-up rage at him spilling out a little bit.

Vegeta released a guttural “tch,” but grabbed her hand anyway, running his dumb over her knuckles. Bulma flinched at the action. She watched Vegeta inspect her hand, noticing for the first time the discoloration already forming. She looked up at his face and caught his gaze. They locked eyes for a bit before Bulma pulled away from him again.

“I said keep your hands off me, you giant ape. What, has all those fights ruptured your eardrums so you can’t fucking comprehend when a woman tells you no?” Bulma asked. “Oh wait,” she continued sarcastically, “I forgot, you wouldn't know what a woman wants since no woman would want to go near you, what with your personality.”

Vegeta didn't respond. Not even the slightest movement. The lab was quiet, bathed in an awkward silence.

“Head trauma aside, if I do recall correctly, you wanted to be more than just _near_ me only a few days ago,” Vegeta replied coldly.

Bulma’s face started to turn a little pink. “You’re such an ass! No wonder you have no fucking friends. You’re stuck on your fucking high horse, _Princey_.”

Suddenly, Bulma was up against the wall. Vegeta’s hands on either side of her head. “Listen here, woman,” he seethed. “Insult me again, and it’ll be the last thing you do.”

“Oh yeah,” Bulma retorted, sounding braver than she felt. “What are you going to do about it?”

He grabbed the back of her neck then and roughly pressed his lips against hers. She brought her hands up to wrap around the back of his neck, returning the kiss with just as much vigor. His other hand made its way to her rear and squeezed, forcing Bulma to moan into his mouth. He grabbed her then, picking her up so her legs wrapped around his waist. He set her down on the desk and began kissing down her neck. Bulma moved her hands into his hair and scratched at his scalp. He moaned against her, gripping her hips tighter, so she repeated the action. This time he gave an involuntarily thrust into her core. Bulma gasped and forced his mouth back up to hers. She reached down to grab the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head.

“Let’s go to my room.” Bulma breathed out.

Vegeta picked her up and made his way to the lab doors. They bumped and stumbled their way to the elevator. Vegeta had her up against the elevator wall, touching her anywhere he could get his hands on. Eventually they made it to her room, her shirt having come off at some point from the lab to her bed. Vegeta walked about Bulma’s bed, suddenly tossing her onto the mattress, making her squeal. He stared down at her topless on the bed as he unbuckled his belt and kicked off his jeans and shoes. He climbed over top her and tugged her jeans off of her. His eyes met the black lace that she wore as underwear and he groaned. “Vegeta,” she whispered. He looked up at her, and keeping eye contact, he slowing pulled the lace down her legs. The smell of her arousal hit him like a ton of bricks and he couldn't help but lean down and have a taste. The moment Bulma felt his tongue on her, she couldn't keep quiet. “Oh God, Vegeta!” She felt him groan against her and the vibrations only intensifying her pleasure. “Vegeta. I need you,” she said breathlessly. “Inside me.” Vegeta let out a strangled groan and moved his way up Bulma’s body. Bulma reached a hand down between them and pushed his boxer briefs down enough to free his cock. He didn't waste anytime lining himself up at her entrance before plunging in. “Yes!” Bulma screamed, while Vegeta let out a hiss, letting his forehead fall against Bulma’s. He began pumping slowly.

“God you feel amazing,” Vegeta huffed.

Bulma clung to Vegeta’s muscular form, holding him tight as their bodies slid against each other. “Vegeta…”

Vegeta groaned at the sound of his name leaving her lips in such a breathless manner. He slammed into her, making her squeal in pleasure. “You like that, woman?” he said with a grin.

“Oh, God, yes!”

Vegeta started a new punishing rhythm; pulling out slowly, then slamming into her. Each thrust eliciting sensual noises from Bulma. Her moans where music to his ears. Suddenly, he felt her dig her nails into his biceps and he could feel her spasming around him. She was close. He bent down to lick her nipple through the bra she still wore. He moved to release her right breast from the lacy bra cup and then he descended upon her. Bulma screamed out as she felt his tongue lave at her erect bud. Vegeta reached his hand between their bodies and found her clit, beginning to rub slow circles. He started kissing up her neck and whispered huskily in her ear, “cum for me, woman.” He kept up the punishing rhythm on her clit and within a few seconds she was screaming out her orgasm. Her pussy tightened around Vegeta’s cock pleasantly, milking him of his release as well. Vegeta gave a few final thrusts before he relaxed on top of Bulma. He kept himself suspended above her on his forearms so he wouldn't crush her. Both of their breathing were ragged. He looked down at the woman below him. Her face was flushed, her lips swollen from their forceful kisses, her eyes a bright blue. He was lost in those cerulean pools. Bulma was mesmerized by the depth in his dark eyes. She leaned forward and planted a slow, sensual kiss on his lips. Vegeta rolled over on his side, taking Bulma with him. Bulma kicked Vegeta’s boxer briefs the rest of the way off as he removed her bra. They laid there in each others’ arms, making out and touching everywhere they could. Before long, their physical exertions finally caught up with them and they fell asleep in each others’ arms.

– 

Bulma was awaken by slight movement from the other side of her bed. She opened her eyes to see a still naked Vegeta trying to get out of bed without waking her. “Hey,” she says, groggily.

He didn't even turn to look at her before saying, “I need to leave.”

“What? Why?” she asked, grabbing his shoulder. She wasn't about to go through him walking out on her again.

He shrugged her off. “Last night was just a lapse in judgement.”

“Oh really…” Bulma moved closer to him, reaching down to grab Vegeta below the belt. He groaned as he felt her hand on his cock. He was already semi-hard. “You sure about that?” she said with a sultry grin plastered on her face, before she got up and straddled his lap. She pumped him and watched as his erection grew. Her mouth was practically salivating as she watched the pre-cum form on his tip. She didn't really get a good look at him last night and she was surprised that she was able to take all of him in. The memories of how he felt inside her and seeing his dick now was making her pussy drip. She looked up at Vegeta’s face and lowered herself onto his cock slowly, making his eyes close. “Lie back” she instructed him. He grabbed her around her waist making her squeal and moved back up the bed. He laid flat on his back, looking up at Bulma as she really began to move. He breasts were bouncing in his face as she created her own rhythm. Suddenly, he sat forward and latched his mouth onto her nipple, enjoying to sound it elicited.

“Bulma did you end up staying all night here agai-” Panchy asked, opening the door to Bulma’s room.

“Mom!” she shouted, as her and Vegeta tried to cover up with the blanket.

“Sorry kids!” she said closing the door. “Breakfast is ready downstairs when you guys are done!” she called from behind the door, completely unfazed.

Bulma tried to get off of Vegeta, he was still hard inside of her, but he wouldn't let her up. She looked at him quizzically. “What are you doing?”

“She said we can come down after we finish,” he said with a smirk.

“No way.”

“Come on, woman,” he moved his hips and bulma gasped. He did it again and her eyes fluttered closed in ecstasy. He flipped her over so he was above her.

“What happened to this being a lapse in judgement?” Bulma said cheekily.

Vegeta’s mind swarmed at the question. He knew she was right. That he should leave. But he didn’t care anymore. The men that’d been after him his whole life already knew his feelings for the woman below of him. And right now, all he wanted was to have her for as long as he could. Because come Saturday, he might not have her at all.

He didn't respond, instead giving her a searing kiss before he started moving inside her again, completely obliterating Bulma’s mind of anything but the feel of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for not posting for awhile guys! Life kinda got in the way these past few weeks as well as a "small" case of writer's block. But I'm back! And I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.
> 
> I hope ya'll are okay with Vegeta's mom's name. I took a quiz on what my Saiyan name would be and it said Kumiko, so that's what I went with lol. I like it for this AU. What do you guys think?
> 
> Next chapter is a mystery to me at the moment, but I assure you, it will be interesting. And hopefully answer some questions...

**Author's Note:**

> Love some feedback, but please be gentle, I'm just a sweet little cinnamon roll!


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